Clayton County Launches Infrastructure Upgrades Expected to Save Nearly $575,000 Annually

/PRNewswire/ -- Clayton County will soon undertake infrastructure upgrades to its buildings anticipated to improve its annual budget by nearly $575,000.

The county expects the renovations to save $361,000 in annual utility costs and to generate $213,000 in annual carbon credit revenues. The energy-saving plan offers the added benefits of improving the comfort and productivity of county employees and reducing the county's environmental impact. The upgrades are scheduled for seven county facilities and the county landfill.

Clayton County will formally launch the infrastructure upgrades with a ceremony and reception on Thursday, Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. in the board room at the Clayton County Board of Commissioners office, located at 112 Smith St., in Jonesboro, Ga. 30236.

The ceremony will feature members of the Clayton County Board of Commissioners, including Eldrin Bell, chairman, and two Trane representatives. Local community leaders will also be invited to the event.

The $5.5 million in renovations will be funded with a performance contract, a model that allows counties and other building owners to use future energy and operational savings to finance infrastructure improvement projects.

A performance contract is an option for funding energy-saving improvements in buildings that provides measurable business results. By managing and optimizing energy use, counties can leverage operational savings to support strategic business objectives.

"We're excited about implementing these new energy efficient upgrades in our county buildings that will also improve the working conditions for county employees," said Eldrin Bell, chairman of the Clayton County Board of Commissioners. "We're especially pleased that we'll be able to pay for the upgrades through energy and operational savings."

Energy-Saving Upgrades Meet County Needs

Prior to selecting specific energy conservation measures, officials completed a formal audit of county buildings to identify installations that would best meet the county's needs. In particular, the county wanted to address inadequate cooling at the Department of Family and Children Services complex, temperature control issues at the County Archives building, urgent piping issues at the Annex III building and collection of methane gas at the landfill.

Renovations to address these pressing needs will include replacing or redesigning heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to increase temperature control, reduce energy consumption and decrease operating costs at the Department of Family and Children Services complex, Annex III, the County Archives building, the justice complex and the Clayton Center behavioral health buildings.

County officials will also install a methane collection system at the landfill to meet forthcoming Environmental Protection Agency mandates. The collection system will enable the county to capture carbon credits as a revenue stream.

Officials will replace nearly 12,500 light fixtures with high-efficiency lighting technology throughout seven buildings. The new fixtures will enhance lighting and reduce related expenses. Additionally, the county will install motion sensors in critical areas of six buildings. The areas include lobbies, kitchen/dining areas, conference rooms, offices and warehouse areas. The motion sensors switch lights off in unused rooms to extend the life of fixtures and bulbs while lowering energy consumption.

The county will replace plumbing fixtures in the County Archives building with high-efficiency devices to decrease water use. Other upgrades will include installing automation systems in six buildings to centralize control and provide remote access.

Outdated building automation systems will be replaced with high-efficiency systems at the Department of Family and Children Services complex, Annex III, the Headquarters Library on Battle Creek Road, the County Archives building and at the Clayton Center buildings. The control system at the justice complex will be updated to work with the new design of the central chilled water plant.

The county will also retrofit the library's main entry to minimize air infiltration and the loss of conditioned air. To reduce the unit cost for electricity and to leverage the current rate structure, the county will consolidate electricity meters within the justice complex and the Lundquist Aquatics buildings.

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New GBPI Report Finds Investment in Disease Prevention Could Save $426 Million for Healthcare Payers in Georgia in Five Years

The Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI) released a report today examining potential return on investment for public health interventions in Georgia. The report, Prevention for a Healthier Georgia: Investments in Disease Prevention Yield Significant Savings, Stronger Communities, finds that strategic investments in disease prevention could result in significant savings to Georgia's health system and its payers, including employers and the state budget.

Based on a model developed at the national level by the Urban Institute, TFAH and GBPI estimate that an annual investment of $10 per Georgian in community-based programs to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent smoking could generate savings of more than $426 million annually within 5 years. This would amount to a return of $4.77 for every $1 invested. Of the $426 million, Georgia's Medicaid program could see $16 million in annual savings, while private payers such as employers and employees could see savings of nearly $270 million.

"The distribution of the savings suggests that both the public and private sectors should be investing in community-based public health programs in Georgia," said Tim Sweeney, Healthcare Analyst with GBPI. "But monetary savings are only part of the story - healthier individuals and communities mean a healthier workforce and a healthier economy," Sweeney added.

"Health care costs are crippling our economy. Keeping Georgians healthier is one of the most important, but overlooked ways we could reduce these costs," said Jeff Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH. "This study shows that with a strategic investment in effective, evidence-based disease prevention programs, we could see tremendous returns in less than five years -- sparing millions of people from serious diseases and saving billions of dollars."

TFAH and GBPI also released polling data showing Georgian's broad support for prevention investments to address health issues. The polling, performed by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Public Opinion Strategies on behalf of TFAH and the Healthcare Georgia Foundation, found prevention to be a top reason to increase government funding for health issues. In particular, 68 percent of Georgians polled said that "diseases related to obesity" are very important for government to focus on.

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Keep Your Money in Your Pocket: November is National Scholarship Month and the Ideal Time to Plan How to Pay for College

(BUSINESS WIRE)--As economic reports signal a national recession and consumers look to cut back on spending, scholarships are an ever-more important way to pay for college. Unlike other forms of financial aid, scholarships do not have to be repaid. November is National Scholarship Month and the ideal time for students to research the college scholarships that meet their needs.

Sallie Mae’s recent study on How America Pays for College, conducted by Gallup, found that 17 percent of students used scholarships to pay for college last year and that the average family covered 15 percent of the cost of college using a combination of grants and scholarships.

Scholarship awards range from a few dollars to a full tuition bill and are offered by private sources, such as The Sallie Mae Fund, in addition to federal and state governments. Students and parents can quickly identify the scholarships they may be eligible for by using Sallie Mae’s free online Scholarship Search, which includes information about more than 2.9 million scholarships worth more than $16 billion in scholarship dollars. The Scholarship Search is available at www.SallieMae.com/scholarships and through a new “widget” that allows any organization -- including high schools, colleges and other community organizations -- to easily make the free tool accessible on the organization’s own Web site. Organizations can visit www.SallieMae.com/widget and simply copy and paste the code into any page on their own Web site.

Families can see the value of scholarship contributions by using Sallie Mae’s Education Investment Planner (www.SallieMae.com/plan) to customize their own pay-for-college plan. Using the Planner, families may estimate the total cost of a college degree, build a plan to pay for college, and estimate the salary a graduate would need to keep repayment of student loans manageable. Sallie Mae’s Education Investment Planner helps families understand the total cost of college and how to pay for it without going beyond their means.

“In tough economic times like these, now is not the time to overpay for anything, particularly college,” said Martha Holler, spokeswoman, Sallie Mae. “With a little bit of extra effort, students will find that scholarships can help them keep more of their money in their own pocket.”

Scholarships are a key part of Sallie Mae’s 1-2-3 approach to paying for college: first, use free money by filling out the FAFSA to access need-based grants, research and apply for scholarships, and supplement with current income, college savings, and an interest-free monthly tuition payment plan. Second, explore federal loans, which offer fixed interest rates and flexible repayment options for students and parents. Third, consider covering any remaining unmet need with private education loans.

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Sallie Mae Launches ‘Education Investment Planner’ to Help Families Build a Customized Plan to Pay for College

BUSINESS WIRE --Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading saving- and paying-for-college company, today launched a new, free online tool that makes understanding the total cost of college and how to pay for it easier for students, parents, financial aid professionals and guidance counselors. The Education Investment Planner, available at www.SallieMae.com/plan, enables families to:

• Estimate the full cost of a college degree: Find out how much four years for a bachelor’s degree, two years for a master’s degree, or other programs will cost at a specific school, including the average growth of tuition over time.
• Build a customized Plan to pay for college through a combination of their own money, federal and state grants, scholarships and, if necessary, federal and private student loans.
• Compare schools: Compare actual costs for approximately 5,500 colleges and universities—not only tuition, but also average room and board expenses, fees, books and supplies.
• Determine if they need student loans and, if so, estimate what their monthly payments could be after graduation—and project how much a graduate would need to earn to keep payments manageable.

Sallie Mae developed the Education Investment Planner in response to feedback from customers and higher education policy advocates indicating that families need better ways to assess the cost of college and their choices for footing the bill. New data from a Gallup survey conducted in May and June, commissioned by Sallie Mae, found that 41% of families did not consider students’ expected income after graduation on their decision to borrow for college and another 29% said expected income made no difference their borrowing decision. Another study, Sallie Mae’s 2007 Survey of Parents of College-Bound Freshmen, indicated that parents want an honest assessment of the total cost of college: 39 percent of all respondents said the most helpful information from the financial aid office was “an honest assessment of total costs over four years,” and 32 percent said “basic information about federal loans, private loans, and payment plans.”

“Sallie Mae offers this free online tool to help families make more informed choices about school selection by understanding upfront how to pay for it without going beyond their means,” said C.E. Andrews, president, Sallie Mae. “So often we think of financial aid in a one-year snapshot. We developed the Education Investment Planner as part of Sallie Mae’s commitment to financial literacy and to helping students and parents understand the full cost of a college degree.”

The Education Investment Planner takes families through a series of questions, prompting users to model various funding sources, including 529 college savings plans, parent and student savings and income, scholarships, federal and state grants, institutional aid and other sources. It helps families follow Sallie Mae’s “1-2-3 approach” to paying for college: first, use free money such as scholarships and grants; second, fully explore federal student loans; and third, fill any remaining gap with private student loans.

“The college search and selection process is one of the most daunting tasks undertaken by high school students and their families, and the Education Investment Planner is a terrific step forward—simple to use and a great confidence booster for families as they explore how to estimate costs and plan into the future,” said Brian Ralph, vice president for enrollment management, Queens University of Charlotte, in North Carolina. “As someone who works with prospective and current students, I know that students who plan well are less likely to struggle financially during their college experience, resulting in higher rates of student success and graduation. This new site will be a great resource to supplement the college planning process.”

Using the Education Investment Planner, families considering student loans can explore various options and estimate monthly repayment amounts, better understand repayment terms and learn what beginning salary is needed to keep payments manageable—before borrowing a penny.

“Now is the right time for families to start thinking about their students’ futures, and having a free planning tool that helps educate families on how to save and pay for college is crucial,” said Tom Burton, immediate past president of the Ohio Middle School Association. “Starting early is the best way to make sure there are no surprises years down the road when it’s time for college.”

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