Renovation projects at three high schools, upgrades in heating and cooling systems and swapping out aging buses are leading costs on Metro Schools capital wish this year.

The school districts first draft of capital projects officials plan to ask the mayor and Metro Council for includes $86 million between three major high school renovations and classroom additions, according to the first draft of the Capital Improvement Budget released last week. The schools include Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet and Overton High School waiting on a mixture of building repairs and new classrooms to alleviate overcrowding, and Nashville School of the Arts needing building repairs.

As we reported in Part II of our series on the problems facing Metro Schools on this week's cover, three in 10 schools ares overcrowded this year at MNPS. Forty three total schools are teaching more students than they have space for, like Tusculum Elementary which sits at 135 percent capacity, has nearly 200 more students than the building can hold and is home to a city of 21 portable classrooms behind its aging main building.

The top 10 most-crowded schools range from 117 percent to 142 percent of capacity. The city has approved funding to alleviate overcrowding at all but one of those schools, but many students wont feel relief for at least another year until construction is finished.

The district calculates $130 million in repairs of school and campus buildings this year, and another $73 million for district-wide expenses, such as HVAC upgrades, new buses, and other expenses like window replacements, roof repairs and technology.

The total comes to $203 million. Typically, the city funds a little more than $100 million a year.

Below is a list of building-based projects the district has prioritized for the 2015-16 fiscal year:

Bellevue Middle School: add eight classrooms. Currently at 106 percent capacity, the school is expected to soar to 120 percent in five years. On a 100-point scale (with 100 representing the best condition and 0 as the worst condition) the school scored an 85. Projected cost: $3.25 million

Cane Ridge Area Elementary (new school): Build a new school in the area to house 800 students. Projected cost: $18.7 million

Glencliff High School stadium/track upgrade: renovation. Scored a 50 on a 100-point scale. Projected cost: $1.5 million.

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MNPS Capital Wish List Includes $203 Million for Next Year

Houston, TX (PRWEB) November 24, 2014

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The old adage that you get what you pay for doesn't always apply to levies or fees for apartment buildings. Sometimes you pay too much for what you are getting.

Generally speaking, you should be paying your fair share of all your building's services, whether you want them or not. But are you getting value for money?

You can't do very much on your own but how can you and your neighbours make choices that lower your levies without reducing your services (assuming you don't want to reduce the value of your apartment).

1. Cut electricity costs in common areas.

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There are many ways of doing this from having your lift lobby and car park lights on a timer, to installing low energy lighting, to having motion-activated lights. But don't be tempted to go belt and braces on this. Installing low energy lights and motion activated lighting may be less cost-effective than one or the other. There are plenty of websites on this, including a federal Department of Industry web page (yourenergysavings.gov.au) that compares the options.

2. Suck up the power of the sun

Don't be like the dough-brained executive committee that rejected solar panels on their roof because "it would cost more to pump the water up there". Photovoltaic systems convert sunlight directly to electricity which can be used for all the things that electricity is used for, like common area lighting, for instance.

Recent reports claim that with the improvement in efficiencies and reductions in costs, a photovoltaic system can pay for itself between six months and two years. Circumstances differ, of course, but all you have to do is get a quote and see if the sums add up for you. The Green Strata website (greenstrata.com.au) has a stack of information on this.

Meanwhile green roofs and walls are all the rage. Not only are they turning some of that nasty CO2 into oxygen, they keep the building cool in summer and warm in winter, which, at the very least, helps keep common property heating and cooling costs down. There's a City of Sydney guide (greenvillages.com.au) and you'll find the Victoria draft guide to green roofs and walls here (imap.vic.gov.au).

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Ten ways to lower your levies

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Overland Park Heating and Cooling has been a household name in the residential and commercial HVAC market for over thirty years. With thousands of customers who rely on us for their home and business HVAC needs, Overland Park Heating and Cooling provides uncompromised service while being mindful of fair pricing. Join the many satisfied customer's today! We are just a phone call away to service or install select HVAC equipment in your home, office, warehouse, retail center, restaurant or any applicable venue. If you have a need to heat, ventilate, cool, freeze or refrigerate your first call should be the professionals at Overland Park Heating and Cooling. HVAC equipment doesn't always break down between 8:00 and 5:00, Overland Park Heating and Cooling offers emergency HVAC services outside regular business hours. Our technicians are fully licensed and insured, hold many industry certifications and are expertly trained. We will treat your home or business with respect and the utmost professionalism. Take your time in reviewing our website for additional information about our company and the products we service and install.

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Kansas City Furnace Repair | Overland Park Heating and Cooling

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From winter chills through the dog days of summer, Schaafsma Heating and Cooling is here for you. As a heating and air conditioning contractor, our primary goal is to keep your home comfortable for you and your family, but that's just the beginning. Our company proudly serves the Greater Grand Rapids MI, area and can offer you peace of mind, ensuring your equipment operates safely. We help you save money on your fuel bills and help deliver relief to those with allergies. If you're concerned with the quality of the air you breathe, call us for HVAC service. This site is specifically designed to help you become an informed consumer when it comes to your home's HVAC. We believe that customers deserve to be well informed concerning their heating and cooling systems. The pull-down menus make it easy to explore. You will learn not only how these systems work, but also how to shop smart and protect your investment. If you're not sure where to find help with a specific question, try our site's search engine to learn about our great options. And don't miss the Answers and Information section, where you can learn about your home's mechanical systems and find money-saving tips on a variety of topics, including heating repair and AC repair.

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A $634.12 electric bill in February about five times higher than normal soured Forrest Lehman and his wife, Megan, on electric choice.

The bill was the result of a variable rate plan that spiked when severe cold weather caused a volatile swing in wholesale electric prices. For the next month, the Lehmans turned off lights and didn't use the stove or the dryer.

As cold weather makes a return, the Lehmans don't have to worry. They have rid themselves of their variable rate plan and their competitive power company. Their decision means there will be no surprises when wholesale prices fluctuate because they are getting power from a traditional utility whose rates are set by regulators.

We simply don't trust those outside groups anymore, Forrest Lehman said. It may be a little bit more than the other guys, but they can't just jack up your rates a ridiculous amount.

The Lehmans are among 53,559 Pennsylvania electric consumers who have ditched competitive power suppliers since last winter's surprise surge in bills that spurred a flood of consumer complaints to the state attorney general and utility regulators.

The trend is a marked turnaround from 2013, when 123,359 residential customers left their default utilities, according to the state Public Utility Commission, with many of them likely lured by the promise of cheaper rates.

To be fair, many people are still happy with their competitive supplier and are not bolting back to their traditional utility. The PUC says 1.83 million residential customers, 38 percent of the market, received their power from a competitive supplier at the end of October.

Officials are encouraging those and others who are considering a switch from a default utility to pay careful attention to their contracts heading into the winter season to make sure that their rates aren't variable or, at least, are fixed for the winter when prices are likely to be volatile.

It's just a dangerous, dangerous situation for a residential customer to go into a variable rate, said state Rep. Bob Godshall, R-Montgomery, who sponsored legislation to cap price increases in variable rates after consumers complained last winter. The measure didn't come up for a vote, and Godshall said he will reintroduce it in the next session.

Some people who were blindsided by costly bills last winter were unaware that their rates were variable. Some had signed up for a fixed-rate plan that expired after a period and became variable. The Lehmans, who live in Williamsport, were among them. They said they didn't notice their fixed plan changed to a variable rate.

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Variable-rate electricity contracts in Pennsylvania can cost customers plenty

A frigid, 28-degree morning was not enough to stop a local veteran from helping another.

A OK Septic owner Tommy Stanfill, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, crawled from underneath World War II veteran Wesley Hay Sr.s house Friday on East 14th street in Columbia.

Hay, 94, tried to fix several water leaks under his home earlier this year using Scotch tape. He has had several problems with people swindling money from him for promised work to his home.

Stanfill read a story about Hay in The Daily Herald and came into the office Wednesday and volunteered his time to fix the plumbing problems. He visited Hays home last week to assess the situation.

I just have a heart for it, Stanfill said about why he helped. I am a vet, too.

Hays home had several broken pipes that were leaking water, requiring at least three hours of work to fix, Stanfill said.

Its not that I felt sorry for him, but hes an older gentlemen. He isnt asking for help, and he is trying to do it on his own, Stanfill said. He is not out here asking for a handout. You can help people who want to help themselves and not feel bad about it.

Hay was shipped to Hawaii in 1942, after the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. He served in the South Pacific from 1942-46 as a mechanic in the U.S. Armys 509th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company.

After leaving the service, he returned home to Tennessee and ran Hays Repair Shop in Columbia for about 40 years.

Joy overtook Hay when asked his feelings about getting help.

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