By Dennis Brown

The newest home under construction in Vanceburg is set to be one of the “greenest” homes in the Commonwealth, according to People’s Self-Help Housing Executive Director Dave Kreher.

Kreher said ground was recently broken for the new home at 120 Rowley Street in Vanceburg. PSHH workers and Glenmary volunteers completed the foundation for the new structure last week.

Kreher said the new home is being built according to standards set by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes, an internationally recognized green building certification program.

Kreher says the LEED program awards points for energy efficient and environmentally friendly building practices as verified by a third party inspector. The more points that are awarded, the higher the level of certification the house receives. 

The levels of certification from lowest to highest are: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.   Kreher expects to achieve the Platinum level of certification for the Rowley Street home, making it the first home in the entire state of Kentucky to achieve this level of certification.

“In light of increasing energy costs, PSHH realizes the importance of constructing extremely energy-efficient homes to reduce energy usage and keep costs affordable,” Kreher said.

“ During the past 18 months, PSHH has constructed seven affordable Energy Star certified new homes in Lewis County that have been rated to use one third less energy than new homes using standard construction methods,” he added.

Kreher said green homes use less energy, water and natural resources and produce less waste, not only during their construction, but also throughout the life of the home. 

“Green homes are typically a little more expensive to build than comparable conventional homes.  However, since green homes use less energy and are more durable, they are much less expensive to maintain resulting in greater savings for the homeowner for years to come,” Kreher said.

Kreher said the home has been registered with the LEED for Homes program and PSHH has already been working with everyone involved in the process to optimize the benefits by closely following a checklist for the project.

He said that during the construction of the home, regular inspections will take place to verify the project is on the right track.

At the end of the process, a home is awarded points for its achievements. Based on the number of points it receives. “We’re confident we’ll receive the highest rating,” Kreher said.

Kreher says there are eight areas under scrutiny during the planning and construction process:

*Indoor Environmental Quality. The quality of the air indoors is often two to five times worse, and occasionally more than 100 times worse, than outdoor air, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A LEED home is designed to maximize fresh air indoors and minimize exposure to toxins and pollutants.

*Energy Efficiency. The average American household spends around $1,500 every year on energy bills, according to

the US government’s Energy Star program. Based on average Energy Star scores of LEED homes built so far, they have the potential to use 20 to 30 percent less energy, and some up to 60 percent less energy, than a home built to the International Code Council’s standards for minimum energy efficiency. Less energy use means lower utility bills every month through the life of a house.

*Water Efficiency. Wasteful water use is both costly and risky, as population growth and a changing climate make clean, safe water an increasingly scarce resource. It is also directly tied to wasteful energy use: As much as 1/4-1/2 of the electricity used by most U.S. cities is consumed at municipal water and wastewater treatment facilities according to the US Department of Energy. LEED homes use innovative strategies to reduce a home’s water use and to find creative ways to reuse water.

*Site Selection. The old truism about prime real estate – location, location, location – is especially true of green homes. LEED encourages homes that are close to schools, shopping, work and transit, maximizing your quality of life and reducing the amount of time you waste in traffic.

*Site Development. During construction and beyond, a home can cause erosion, interfere with natural habitats and pollute waterways through stormwater runoff. LEED homes avoid destructive construction practices and have landscaping and other elements that protect the land where the home sits.

*Materials Selection. The materials and resources that go into a home can be carefully selected from sustainably harvested, responsibly processed sources – or they can be wasteful and contribute to habitat destruction. LEED homes use recycled, reclaimed and responsibly obtained materials everywhere possible.

*Residents' Awareness. LEED is proactive in educating homeowners and renters about a home’s green features and how to get the highest performance from them. A LEED home also stands as an example to the community of a well-built home and encourages others to live the same.

*Innovation. LEED encourages builders and designers to find innovative ways to increase a home’s performance, taking into account local and regional needs and promoting durability for a long-lasting, comfortable home.

Vanceburg City Council met in a brief regular session last week heard from Patty Kennard, the city’s zoning enforcement officer, about debris and trash on the city’s streets and the condition of a former factory building.

Kennard addressed council members and commended city workers for their efforts in clearing the city’s streets of snow during recent snowfalls. She noted, however, that snowplows left debris and mud on several of the city’s sidewalks.

Kennard also said recent work by CSX Railroad machinery has left several large gravels in roadways adjacent to the railroad tracks in Vanceburg. “Something needs to be done to clean these streets,” she told council members.

Kennard said she noticed some people walking in the roadway and avoiding the sidewalk between Super Quik and the George Morgan Thomas Home in Vanceburg because of the mud and debris left after snow melted away.

Kennard asked if some of the city workers and inmates could be assigned to clean some of the sidewalks and streets and suggested CSX be contacted about removing the gravel from the streets which had been left there after recent work on the railroad tracks.

She said she also urges city residents to make an effort to clean the areas around their homes and businesses to help in the effort to make Vanceburg a cleaner community for all of the residents and visitors.

Kennard informed council she had also received several complaints concerning the former LV Marks Shoe Factory building in Vanceburg. She said part of the building has fallen in and she is concerned about further deterioration of the building and how the site could be cleaned up.

The building is located on Rowley Avenue (formerly Stein Street) and was originally utilized as a shoe factory. Since then it has been home to a military surplus store and other more recent retail efforts.

Mayor Angie Patton said the site had been part of a study to seek funding to get such sites cleaned up. She noted that future grant money could be available for cleaning up the site.

Kennard suggest the property owner be contacted about cleaning up the site and asked City Attorney John Holder to review the city’s nuisance ordinance which was adopted by council in 2000. “The nuisance ordinance deals with dilapidated buildings,” she said.

Council Member Ed Taylor suggested Holder write a “stern” letter to the property owner asking that the matter be addressed. Holder said he would review the ordinance and take whatever action was deemed necessary by council.

Council Member Denver Moore gave other members an update on the city’s utility company and said efforts have been underway to get funds which were intended for the local utility company, but misappropriated by the state, to be redirected back to Vanceburg.

“If we get that money it will go toward getting pictures of the inside of the sewer system,” Moore said. He explained that having a view of the interior of the city’s sewer system would save money on a project to replace the system by allowing contractors to see what kind of project they are bidding on.

Moore said the utility company is also working on applying for a grant to pay for upgrades to the street lights in the city. He said the grant, if approved, would allow for the city’s street lights to be converted to LED lighting and would reduce electric consumption for those lights by about 50 percent.

Before adjourning, council went into closed session to discuss the possible sale of surplus property.