Fort Lewis College receives $300,000 grant to help build environmentally-friendly student union

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DURANGO, Colo. – Fort Lewis College has been awarded $300,000 from the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Program to support construction of its new student union building.

The DOLA grant puts the Foundation’s campaign for the student union over the $3 million mark and more than halfway to its goal of $5 million.

The funding is a Tier II grant and “is intended to support a wide variety of community development projects to improve quality of life in communities,” according to the DOLA website.

The money will be put toward two green projects for the student union, helping the structure attain a Gold standard under LEED, the U.S. Green Building Council’s green building certification program. The two projects are a solar hot water system that will be used to provide hot water to the union, and a photovoltaic solar system that will generate electricity.

When finished, the $37.5 million FLC student union project will completely renovate the existing College Union Building and add 38,000 square feet. Project completion is anticipated in 2011.

The DOLA Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Program is designed for areas affected by the development, production and/or conversion of energy and mineral resources. La Plata County supplies approximately 80 percent of Colorado’s coalbed methane gas and produces the most natural gas of any county in the state.

   

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