“A” For Effort

Nature classroom serves as a lesson in sustainability  

By Erin Pant
Photos: Montgomery Parks

Go for a walk between neighborhood subdivisions in Colesville, Md., and you’ll stumble upon a unique urban oasis. Maydale Conservation Park, managed by Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), features an idyllic stream, a meadow, trails, wetlands, and woodlands across 24 acres. 

Maydale Conservation Park has served as an important setting for recreational and environmental education programming for many years. In the 1940s, it was home to a Wildlife Achievement Chapter Club (WACC) of the Izaak Walton League of America. In the 1950s, popular community fishing rodeos were held in the large pond. The land, which included several structures, was sold to M-NCPPC in 1971. Park staff began to offer seasonal nature programs from a house on the property and continued up until 2008, when the aging facility closed. In 2016, community members, eager to restore this well-loved amenity, successfully advocated for funding to reinstate programming and a facility at the site. A few years later, Friends of Maydale Conservation Park was officially formed with the mission to promote and support continued conservation, education, and recreation at the park.

A Green Goal 

With funding secure, Montgomery Parks staff set out to develop a plan to re-establish a working facility at the conservation park. 

“Maydale is a special park, and we wanted the building to match that,” says Jim Poore, facilities management division chief at Montgomery Parks.  

Around the same time, Montgomery County completed work on a Climate Action Plan, calling for a reduction in greenhouse-gas emission of 80 percent across the county by 2027 and 100-percent elimination by 2035.  

“Montgomery Parks is committed to being energy-efficient, making use of renewable energy, and getting our facilities in alignment with the county standard by 2035,” says Amanda Aparicio, who oversees the department’s sustainability efforts as part of her role as the assistant division chief of facilities management.

With these new sustainability standards in mind, staff set a goal to make the Maydale Classroom Montgomery Parks’ first facility designed for net-zero operation. Staff members considered three options

  • Renovate the existing building

  • Build a brand-new building

  • Repurpose a structure.

The decision was made to repurpose a double-wide trailer that had been used for staff offices at another park location as the base for the classroom. Finding a new use for the trailer kept 24,000 pounds (about the weight of a school bus) of material from going into the waste stream. 

“We knew this would be a challenging project from the start,” says Poore. “The first challenge was how would we take a trailer, put it on another foundation, and renovate it to match the surroundings. Then, we faced the added challenge of trying to achieve net-zero operation in a region with difficult weather demands.”   

 
 

Sustainability In Design And Function

As the project started, Poore challenged his staff members to be intentional with every decision they made. “It was a novel approach for our team,” explains Poore. “Extra attention and thought had to be put into each step of the process to ensure we sourced sustainable, locally available products and materials within cost.” 

One of the most noteworthy features of the facility is the 60-panel, 17.4-kW solar roof.  

“The most exciting component of this project is that our in-house electricians completed the install of the solar roof,” says Aparicio. “Our team has quickly gone from installing smaller six-panel systems to this beautiful 60-panel system in a very short span of time.”  

The increased staff capacity for installing and supporting solar technologies is a significant cost saving for the department. According to Aparicio, the return on investment for this project is just under 8-and-a-half years.   

In the front of the facility, staff members installed two Trombe walls to supply passive solar heating. A Trombe wall is a dark-colored wall with a layer of glass installed a few inches away to create an insulating gap. The wall is south-facing to maximize the absorption of thermal energy from the sun. The heated air in the insulating gap rises into the facility and stratifies. The cold air sinks and is pulled through the vents on the floor, which allows for continuous cycling of air. This process heats the building while minimizing energy use. 

Another key part of the facility is the 275-gallon rainwater-harvesting system. The toilets are flushed using water harvested from rainfall on the roof and stored in an underground cistern.  

The facility also features eco-friendly bamboo flooring, low-flow sinks, and zoned ductless HVAC units with a programmable thermostat for heating and cooling. The exterior of the classroom is covered in durable cement board siding and backed by 6 inches of spray-foam insulation. LED lighting is used throughout the facility, including the parking lot and walkways. 

A wraparound deck overlooks the serene meadow and pond. There are rocking chairs, picnic tables, and spotting scopes, providing visitors with multiple ways to connect with nature. Just off the deck are a campfire ring, outdoor activity spaces, and trails.  

 
 

Classroom Becomes A Teaching Tool 

From the onset, the facility was created as a space to hold nature and environmental-based education programs, but staff soon identified an added opportunity.  

“We realized early on that the building itself could serve as a teacher in sustainable practices and material selection,” says Poore. “During the design, we looked for ways to incorporate the building as a teaching tool. For example, the mechanical room has a window so that the public can view the equipment.” 

There is also informational signage explaining many of the building’s sustainable features, and a monitor displays real-time data detailing the amount of energy produced by the solar panels. 

“The response from the community has been very positive,” says park naturalist Glenn Rice, who oversees programming and operations for the classroom. “Visitors most often comment on the solar panels and are interested in learning about the many sustainable features.”

The new facility will be used for family programs, summer camps, school field trips, and rentals. The project also has provided park staff with valuable insights into new processes and materials. 

“All of the components used to create this classroom were purposeful. Each aspect builds upon the others to collectively make this a special and successful facility,” says Poore. 

“This is where we need to be heading. All future parks projects should strive to be net-zero,” adds Aparicio. “We have already adopted some of the components we used here to other projects. We always look for opportunities to conserve energy and water resources, maximize energy efficiency, add solar, rainwater harvesting, and sustainable materials.”  

The total direct cost of the project was $650,000. Poore says seeing the completed facility is very fulfilling. “All of our staff came together and worked hard toward a common goal. This project has had a profound impact on everything we’ve done since and will do in the future.” 

 

Erin Pant is the Public Relations & Outreach Specialist for Montgomery Parks. Reach her at erin.pant@montgomeryparks.org 

 
 
Previous
Previous

Solar-Charging Stations

Next
Next

A Pond-Management Safety Checklist