WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School this week learned that the $64 million adddition/renovation project at the middle-high school achieved LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

 

The council's approval of the project's sustainable elements ensures the district 2 percentage points on its reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

 

That should translate to about $1 million of the total share the state authority will contribute to the project when all is said and done, said Hugh Daley, a Williamstown Select Board member and part of the finance working group of the district's School Building Committee.

 

Daley pointed out that the $1 million reimbursement in question was factored into the budget for the building project that the district presented to Williamstown and Lanesborough in 2016.

 

In other words, the certification does not bring "new" savings, but it does help keep the project on budget.

 

"This achievement ensures that the project will be reimbursed at the maximum possible rate for our project," Daley said.

 

In announcing the certification this week, Mount Greylock Superintendent Kimberley Grady agreed that most of the elements that led to the LEED Silver certification involved selection of building materials or monitoring procedures that did not significantly add to the cost of the project.

 

On the other hand, in addition to increasing the MSBA reimbursement, LEED components like a design that "optimize[s] energy performance" will save the district in the operation cost of the new Mount Greylock.

 

"LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world," according to the USGBC website. "Available for virtually all building types, LEED provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership."

 

Daley praised everyone involved in reaching the LEED Silver goal on the project.

 

"It is a very important accomplishment by the Superintendent, the Mount Greylock staff, and the project team," he said.