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A new 'green' child-care facility that opened here late last month boasts environmentally friendly building features and more spaces than its old location.
With the unveiling of the new Merrickville Day Nursery School at the corner of St. Patrick and Lewis streets, area parents have a lot to be appreciative of, said Kimberly Little, the Best Start planner for the community and social services division of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.
The expansion created 23 new spaces, in addition to the school's 38 existing ones.
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The building is made from construction materials that do not release toxic gases, linoleum flooring made from renewable materials, and dual flush toilets that use less water.
The exterior walls incorporate insulating concrete forms that conserve energy and state-of-the-art windows.
The design also makes maximum use of natural light, which is believed to improve learning, and interior partitions that are designed to absorb sound, reducing youngsters' fatigue.
Wherever possible, builders used recycled materials.
"As far as we know, we're pretty much in the forefront for sure," Little said.
The environmentally friendly building is less expensive to run in the long term.
"It's energy efficient, so heating-wise, it will certainly be more energy efficient," Little said.
The counties' Best Start program gave the facility $568,000 in infrastructure funding, but the total cost of the building, excluding the land, is $797,000, Little said.
The Merrickville Day Nursery School was started in the 1980s by a group of local families who saw the need for a day nursery school in the village.
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- reprinted from the Brockville Recorder and Times