Frontier Project with hint of wine
I paid a visit to the Cucamonga Valley Water District recently to see how the Frontier Project is shaping up and smelled wine.The Frontier Project is an ambitious green building and one of the materials that will be used are wood planks from Filippi wine barrels. Talk about incorporating the city's viticultural past into the project.
The dark brown trellis seen in this artist rendering is how the redwood will be used. The wood will shade the building and provide a natural cooling system.
The
Vice President of the Frontier Project Foundation Jo Lynne Russo-Pereyra said about two inches worth of wine residue crystallized on the wood. I expected her to follow this with an offer for a tasting but I got a bottle of CVWD water instead. Refreshing, but no Zinfandel.
A preview of Tuesday's article on the sustainability showcase building follows.
[The wood was actually donated by the city. According to Gino Filippi, the city is the owner of the casks which the wood was sourced.]
By Wendy Leung
RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- The Cucamonga Valley Water District is painting its next frontier green.
The work started in earnest last week as construction workers poured concrete for the foundation of the Frontier Project, a 14,000-square foot facility demonstrating sustainability products and designs. Everything about this project is easy on the earth -- from the concrete, which is made from recycled materials, to the way workers keep down construction waste.
"It's what the future is," said Jo Lynne Russo-Pereyra, vice president of the Frontier Project Foundation. "We have to look beyond the focus of just water."
The $14.3 million project, scheduled to be complete fall of 2009, has received platinum status, the highest, for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The vision is for students, homeowners and community members to visit the building and learn about energy efficient appliances, water saving fixtures and green architecture, all in a building that practices what it preaches.
"We want to give the community a close-up view to show that the things we're trying to promote ... we're actually practicing it," said Jim Curatalo, Cucamonga Valley Water District board member. "We want to help educate the community so they can best use water and conserve it."
The building -- with a photovoltaic system that coverts light into electricity and a recovery system that filters water from sinks and dishwashers and uses it for landscape irrigation -- is indeed innovative. And because it's an election year with four out of the five board seats open, the Frontier Project is also an election issue.
Former board member Hank Stoy, said he voted for the initial design phase of the project but now believes the price tag is too steep for the district's rate payers.
Both Stoy and Curatalo are running for election this November.
"There could be some lessons learned in that facility but you can teach those lessons in less expensive ways," Stoy said. "I don't see any value in this for tax payers."
In 2005, the water district created the Frontier Project Foundation, a nonprofit group to fund the building. The goal is to raise $7 million and so far the foundation has raised $1 million. According to Russo-Pereyra, the total cost of the project has been budgeted if the foundation fails to meet the fundraising goal.
The impetus for the building came from a need to expand the district's administrative office. In addition to being a showcase building, there will also be office space for about 15 district employees.
"When we were getting ready to add more space, we also asked, 'What other message should we spread?,' " said Kristeen Ramirez<NO1>cq<NO>, spokeswoman for the water district and the Frontier Project. "Why should we construct the same old building when we can be more energy efficient."
Information: www.FrontierProject.org
RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- The Cucamonga Valley Water District is painting its next frontier green.
The work started in earnest last week as construction workers poured concrete for the foundation of the Frontier Project, a 14,000-square foot facility demonstrating sustainability products and designs. Everything about this project is easy on the earth -- from the concrete, which is made from recycled materials, to the way workers keep down construction waste.
"It's what the future is," said Jo Lynne Russo-Pereyra, vice president of the Frontier Project Foundation. "We have to look beyond the focus of just water."
The $14.3 million project, scheduled to be complete fall of 2009, has received platinum status, the highest, for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The vision is for students, homeowners and community members to visit the building and learn about energy efficient appliances, water saving fixtures and green architecture, all in a building that practices what it preaches.
"We want to give the community a close-up view to show that the things we're trying to promote ... we're actually practicing it," said Jim Curatalo, Cucamonga Valley Water District board member. "We want to help educate the community so they can best use water and conserve it."
The building -- with a photovoltaic system that coverts light into electricity and a recovery system that filters water from sinks and dishwashers and uses it for landscape irrigation -- is indeed innovative. And because it's an election year with four out of the five board seats open, the Frontier Project is also an election issue.
Former board member Hank Stoy, said he voted for the initial design phase of the project but now believes the price tag is too steep for the district's rate payers.
Both Stoy and Curatalo are running for election this November.
"There could be some lessons learned in that facility but you can teach those lessons in less expensive ways," Stoy said. "I don't see any value in this for tax payers."
In 2005, the water district created the Frontier Project Foundation, a nonprofit group to fund the building. The goal is to raise $7 million and so far the foundation has raised $1 million. According to Russo-Pereyra, the total cost of the project has been budgeted if the foundation fails to meet the fundraising goal.
The impetus for the building came from a need to expand the district's administrative office. In addition to being a showcase building, there will also be office space for about 15 district employees.
"When we were getting ready to add more space, we also asked, 'What other message should we spread?,' " said Kristeen Ramirez<NO1>cq<NO>, spokeswoman for the water district and the Frontier Project. "Why should we construct the same old building when we can be more energy efficient."
Information: www.FrontierProject.org
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