Lawrence Journal-World 04-11-11

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MONDAY • APRIL 11 • 2011

Federal railroad money up in the air ————

Depot Redux among entities applying for share of $2.4B pot

Nick Krug/Journal-World Photos

PRAIRIE MOON WALDORF SCHOOL first-grader Angus Burke works to steady a watering can as he makes his way across the planks in the school garden on Wednesday. At left is first-grader Bella Paradis. Prairie Moon was chosen for a 2011 Kansas Green School of the Year award by the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education.

By Scott Rothschild

Waldorf school gets green star

srothschild@ljworld.com

All of the housing credits are for equipment that is installed and used in 2011. And the upgrades have to be made for the homeowner’s principal residence and can’t be applied to rental properties. There is also a $500 lifetime limit on the tax credit. So, if you took full advantage of last year’s $1,500 tax credit, you won’t be eligible. The tax credits also don’t include installation and labor costs. With the help of information

TOPEKA — Florida’s loss may be Lawrence’s gain. When Florida Gov. Rick Scott rejected $2.4 billion in federal funds to build a high-speed rail project in his state, federal officials put the money up for grabs for other states. Kansas was one of 24 states, along with Amtrak, to submit an application for a portion of the funding. The Kansas application would be for $1.1 million and would go toward renovation and restoration of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe depot. It would be The application was made by the Kansas wonderful if all our Department of Trans- ships came in.” portation and would include a match of $283,786 from the city of — Carey Maynard-Moody of Depot Redux, which has Lawrence. “KDOT was very excit- applied for part of a $2.4 ed and supportive of sub- billion federal fund for rail mitting an application for projects our project,” said Carey Maynard-Moody, president of Depot Redux, which is wanting to restore the depot at Seventh and New Jersey streets. “If this money is available, it would just be a dream come true,” she said. After Florida’s governor canceled a project that would have connected Tampa and Orlando with high-speed trains, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood opened the funding up to other projects that could deliver public and economic benefits. The department received 90 applications totaling more than $10 billion. Among those was a proposal from Amtrak for $1.3 billion to improve service between Boston and Washington, D.C. The state of Missouri applied for nearly $1 billion in funding for high-speed rail service between St. Louis and Kansas City. “What we heard from the feds is that they got tons more applications than they had money,” said Steve Swartz, spokesman for KDOT. No date has been determined on when the projects will be selected but Maynard-Moody was hopeful. “It would be wonderful if all our ships came in,” she said.

Please see UPGRADES, page 2A

— Statehouse reporter Scott Rothschild can be reached at 785-423-0668.

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Prairie Moon recognized as one of the most eco-friendly in state By Karrey Britt kbritt@ljworld.com

Students at Prairie Moon Waldorf School used a recent sunny day to work in their own gardens. “It’s fun,” said Finn Veerkamp, a second-grader, as he brushed the dirt from his hands. He was planting red romaine lettuce and basil. Each student has a 3-foot by 3-foot area of land at the rural Lawrence school, and he or she is completely in charge of it. Starra Zweygardt, a seventh-grader, was using a ruler to measure how deep to plant the seeds for chard. She also

had a map of her garden plot that she had drawn in class. “It’s been pretty easy,” she said of gardening. “But, if you don’t take care of it, it’s not that easy.” She recalled having to pluck a bunch of tiny weeds that had sprouted in her garden last year after she was gone for a period of time. “That was really hard,” she said. Nearby, fourth-grader Will Farwell was building a trellis Please see PRAIRIE MOON, page 2A

RICK MITCHELL, one of the founders of Prairie Moon Waldorf School, works on tilling the garden while children play during recess on Wednesday.

Energy-efficient upgrades still have tax benefit By Christine Metz cmetz@ljworld.com

From windows to wind turbines, tax credits give homeowners an extra incentive to make energy-efficient home improvements. The sweet deals of 2010 — where homeowners could receive a maximum tax credit of $1,500 — are gone. The tax laws for 2011 reverted to the incentives of 2006 and 2007, which cover up to 10 percent of the cost of improvements with a $500 cap. For certain kinds of

improvements, such as windows, heaters and air conditioners, the maximums are lower, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. While it’s not the $1,500 of 2010, local energy auditor Sarajane Koch of Scott Temperature said it does help. For instance, the $500 limit can be met through a $300 tax credit for an air conditioner, a $150 tax credit for a furnace and a $50 tax credit for circulating fan. In the past 15 months, Koch said she saw more homeowners go with higher efficiency mod-

els because the $1,500 tax credit helped cover the difference. The $500 lifetime limit doesn’t apply to all energy-efficiency projects. The more costly improvements of installing geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, solar panels, fuel cells and wind generators are eligible for a 30 percent tax credit and have no upper limit. These credits are good until 2016. That’s good news, Koch said because projects such as installing geothermal heat pumps can cost between $15,000 to $40,000.

School district seeks savings in diploma-completion program By Mark Fagan mfagan@ljworld.com

The Lawrence school district plans to end its contract with her employer, relocate her office and advertise her job as an opening that hasn’t formally been announced yet. And Sharen Steele’s all for it.

“It’s a real wise move,” said Steele, project coordinator for the Lawrence Diploma Completion Program, operated by the South Central Kansas Education Service Center. “Now, all the money will stay in the district.” A tentative plan calls for the Lawrence school district to take control of the local diploma-completion pro-

instead of contract personnel, the district would anticipate saving about $215,000 next year. “It’s a very important program, and if we can offer the same service less expensively — by having the providers be our own employees — that’s great,” said Mary Loveland, a member of the Lawrence school board.

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gram, which the district established in 2004 through a contract with the not-forprofit service center. The Lawrence location offers diploma-competition classes to 340 students from an office in The Malls Shopping Center, 711 W. 23rd St. By taking back the program and having it overseen by district administrators

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“We’re doing a good thing and doing it for less money.” The switch is part of a list of budget plans scheduled for discussion tonight by board members. Their meeting is set for 7 p.m. at district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive. Board members learned about the potential move March 28, as part of $2.4 million in potential budget cuts

suggested as board members mulled closing Wakarusa Valley School at the end of the school year. Board members indeed voted to close Wakarusa Valley, extending the anticipated savings to $2.9 million. Administrators are searching for savings because they Please see DISTRICT, page 2A

COMING TUESDAY We’ll let you know what a federal judge decides when sentencing a former consultant in the KU tickets scandal.

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