City of Norman Accomplishments
- Public Works - Traffic Department (January 2008)
Norman started retrofitting existing traffic signals and changed our specs for new signal installations six years ago. Close to 60% of our signalized intersections already have LEDs. Recently a project was completed along Lindsey Street, between 24th Avenue SW and 12th Avenue SE, where 13 signals were retrofitted with LEDs and Battery Power backup Systems. We also completed plans and submitted them to ODOT (Oklahoma Department of Transporation) for a similar project on Main Street, between Ed Noble Parkway and University Boulevard. We anticipate bid opening in April of this year and completion of the work by late summer.
Incidentally we were the first city in the State to adopt LED standards for traffic signals and had the first installation in Oklahoma (on Tecumseh Road for the Roosevelt School pedestrian crossing). Those LEDs have been in place since summer of 1997
Our Goal is to be a full LED city within the next three years.
- City of Norman (April 2008)
The City of Norman drafted and adopted a fuel conservation policy in April 2008. Improved fuel economy is a key consideration across the entire fleet, both for environmental benefits and to save costs. The purpose of this policy is to reduce fuel consumption, reduce pollution and greenhouse gases, and to create a greener, greater Norman.
- Public Works Department - Fleet Management
Fleet Management has taken several steps to go green focusing on fuel conservation. Fleet has downsized the parts & city run truck from an F-250 diesel to an F-150 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) truck, reducing the fuel usage by 21%. In addition, Fleet has bought tools and software to actively control and monitor the idle time and speed of existing and new equipment. All 2001 and newer heavy trucks are programmed at a five-minute idle time and the allowable speed is lowered to 55 MPH.
- Public Works Department - Street Division
The Street Division is working to reclaim a majority of concrete removed from street construction projects for reuse as rip-rap in drainage and erosion control projects. This saves energy by not hauling the material to a landfill for disposal, the mining of new materials and the transport from the mines to our facility for use. This also provides a cost savings to the City by not having to purchase mined rip-rap and to pay for the disposal of the removed concrete. The Street Division is also striving to reduce fuel consumption by adhering to the guidelines set for idling, vehicle maintenance checks, and making every trip count.
- Utilities Department - Environmental Services Division
In 2005 the Environmental Services Division purchased the City's first hybrid vehicle to help reduce fuel usage. Because of the success of this vehicle, the Utilities Department purchased a second hybrid for the Water Treatment Facility.
- Utilities Department - Wasterwater Division
Norman Staff Excited by Prospect of Extracting Energy from Wastewater Bio-gas The City of Norman's Green Team recently met with Mr. Ken Stamper with Production Specialties. Production Specialties is an Oklahoma based engineering and consulting company focused on energy and environmental issues. The company is developing a process which, if successful, can be used to refine naturally produced biogas making it a viable renewable energy source and a clean useful by-product of the Wastewater Pollution Control Facility.
Biogas is a byproduct of the anaerobic digestion process which is used to treat the solids that are removed from the City's wastewater. Biogas contains a significant amount of methane gas which can be burned to generate electricity or used to fuel vehicles. In addition to the methane in biogas there are several other types of gases such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide which makes the biogas uneconomical to use without treatment to remove these contaminates. These contaminants can compromise the value and usefulness of this resource.
Mr. Stamper has developed a process he believes can be used to remove the contaminant gases from the biogas turning it into a cost effective fuel source. He approached the City's Wastewater Treatment Division staff and members of the City's Green Team with his plan several months ago and asked if they would be willing to let him use their biogas in his trials. Seeing the potential of this project as both an energy and money saving venture the City's staff agreed to allow Mr. Stamper access to the biogas stream at the facility. The success of this trial will mean the facility will be able to generate more of their own power, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and have a useful alternative fuel source. Unlike other sulfur treating technology, this process will not produce a solid waste product.
Work on this project is sponsored by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology and XCEL Energy.
- Police Department
Police Department has recently replaced a very antiquated boiler that heats the 23,771 square foot building. The old boiler was at best 50 to 60 percent efficient, the new boiler is 85% efficient and is approximately half the size.
- Utilities Department
Sanitation The roof at the Sanitation Divison was in need of extensive repairs. Scottie Williams, Utilities Superintendent, came through with a new roof that was selected due to it's high density foam which will help reduce the heating and cooling bill. Due to the saturation of the old roof material there was almost zero insulation value, and as we all know most of the heat loss is from the top. The insulation in the new roof has increased the insulating capacity from a R4 (at best) to an average of R39. This is a ten-fold increase in insulating capacity for the roof. So we did not just fix a leaking roof, but added insulating factor and increased the building's efficiency.