Cashmere School District passes Clean Building compliance review with flying colors

CASHMERE— The Cashmere School District (CSD) once again sets the standard high for Washington facilities after passing a Clean Building compliance review for every facility in the district. CSD conducted the review as a part of Washington State’s Clean Buildings Performance Standard, which aims to lower costs and pollution from fossil fuel consumption by improving the efficiency of existing large buildings state-wide. 

Performed by an outside engineering company, the review took into account a range of factors and calculations relating to square footage, power consumption, and the overall efficiency of lighting and HVAC systems. 

CSD Business Manager Bo Charlton presented the positive results of the report to the Cashmere School Board, satisfied with the district’s overall performance. 

“This is great news, because if we came back negative, as far as the state standards, we would have had to invest heavily into each building or buildings that didn’t comply… which could have cost tens of thousands of dollars, if not more,” Charlton explained with relief. 

In ensuring that so many complex systems comply with the Performance Standard, CSD’s maintenance and custodial staff regularly perform vastly important duties. From in-house maintenance of the district’s many HVAC and lighting systems to the detailed cleaning of each facility, the work of CSD’s vital custodial and maintenance staff made all the difference in the school district’s ability to demonstrate Clean Building standards at the state level. 

Charlton expressed his gratitude for the district's maintenance staff, citing them as a major force in completing the Clean Building compliance review with all around positive results.

“I just think this speaks highly to not only our community but also I want to shout out our maintenance department. They do a great job of taking care of all our facilities… I’d say, across the state, we kind of set the standard pretty high as far as our facilities and our buildings,” Charlton revealed, applauding the CSD maintenance for their dedicated work.

With the next round of review for Clean Building compliance still 7 to 10 years away, CSD has set itself up for continued success in ensuring not only a lower impact on the local environment but also all-around lower power costs and consumption for the entire district. 

“We know what the standard is and we are already meeting compliance rather than us trying to work to achieve a certain standard here in the next couple of years when we would have had to invest our own money to get us to that standard, and we already know we’re at that standard,” Charlton shared with confidence for the district’s future in meeting the Clean Building Performance Standard.

This small summertime success for CSD clears a path forward for much larger gains within the district, allowing them to invest more funds directly into their students and student-centered educational programs, which help instill Cashmere youth with the versatility and industriousness the community is known for.

For more information about Cashmere School District and their plans for the future, visit their official website at cashmere.wednet.edu. 

Will Nilles: (509) 731-3211 or will@ward.media