Manassas thinks green
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By JONATHAN HUNLEY
Published: November 15, 2008
Considering its Civil War history, Manassas might ordinarily be thought of in terms of the colors blue and gray.
But the city's public works department is focusing on another hue these days: green.
The local government office that maintains city streets and buildings, among other duties, is undertaking initiatives that will both save money and be less harmful to the environment, Public Works Director Moe Wadda told City Council on Monday night.
The efforts include everything from buying energy-efficient appliances to managing the use of gasoline in the city's vehicle fleet.
The latter involves two major plans. First, Wadda would like to eventually have 10 percent of the 211 vehicles used by city departments be fuel-efficient hybrids. Manassas has two hybrids now, and Wadda's office is applying for federal grant money to buy more.
Second, Wadda would like to begin a pilot program to scrutinize how vehicles are used on official business.
Devices would be installed in 10 to 20 vehicles for a year to track information, including exactly where the car has been driven and how long an engine was left idling.
"You can burn a lot of fuel just by idling," Wadda said in an interview Wednesday.
The vendor that sells the device told the city that it could save 20 percent of monthly vehicle operating costs, or about $20,000 per month. And the city could probably recoup program costs with federal grant money, Wadda said.
Manassas could also save on its electric bill by outfitting all its traffic signals with LED, or light-emitting diode, technology.
"It uses significantly less energy than incandescent bulbs," Wadda said.
He said a light that requires 130 watts of energy in a conventional system could be illuminated with perhaps only 10 watts, saving the city an estimated 70 percent on its electricity bills for stoplights. And, on top of that, the LED bulbs last longer. About 10 of Manassas' 55 signals have LED lights currently, Wadda said.
The public works department also plans to use green building techniques in projects to encourage a sound environment both indoors and outdoors, and it will work with the state forestry department on a program to makes sure the city's tree canopy is maintained to reduce stormwater runoff and greenhouse gases.
In addition, the department wants to encourage more recycling by eliminating the need for residents to separate their recyclables. Under the new system, they could just toss everything into one bin.
"It makes it easier for people to recycle," Wadda said.
Taking these steps just makes sense, Wadda said, because they are kind to the environment and to the pocketbook.
"These are all things that save the taxpayer money," he said.
Along the same lines, City Manager Lawrence D. Hughes told council members on Monday that the city could see some savings just by cutting down on the paper it sends to them. Most documents can be sent to the governing body by e-mail only, he said.
That sounded like a good idea to Vice Mayor Andrew L. "Andy" Harrover.
"Very few of these pages will make it out the door," he said at the meeting.
Staff writer Jonathan Hunley can be reached at 703-369-5738.
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