A new 20,000-square-foot western U.S. production facility slated to open in December at Kiley Ranch is expected to help Belimo Americas increase its market share and better serve its western U.S. customers.

Belimo Americas, which makes control valves and actuators for commercial ventilation, heating and air conditioning systems, currently operates out of a 7,000-square-foot facility on East Prater Way in Sparks. The new facility at 1049 Fortunado Loop, scheduled to break ground on June 17, will allow the company to move production of its products from its corporate office in Danbury, Conn.

“Not only have we outgrown ourselves locally, we are continually looking for ways to improve our service for our loyal customers,” says Amy Cervantes, project manager for Belimo Americas. “With a larger facility we can accommodate that.”  Cervantes says the company initially will move a small percentage of its U.S. manufacturing to the new facility. As local workers master production, the company will increase its manufacturing capacity. Belimo Americas currently employs 13 in Sparks and plans to add more production workers once the new facility is online.

“We are going to transfer our product lines in sectional progression from our Danbury facility,” Cervantes says. “Our goal is to gain even more market share in the West by offering a phenomenal lead time of one to two days for large orders. In our industry, equipment lead times range from one week to several months for some equipment, but Belimo offers reduced lead times for no additional fees.”

Miles Construction of Carson City is the general contractor on the project, which was designed by BJG Architecture + Engineering.  The building is slated for Gold Certification through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program initiated by the U.S. Green Building Council. Cervantes says 12 to 14 of the 15 required LEED points will come from use of Belimo actuators, motors and control valves.

ALL CONTENTS © 2009 Northern Nevada Business Weekly. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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See the article in the March 24, 2009 edition of the RGJ (http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009903240327).

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The City of Sparks and Kiley Ranch Communities have joined forces to enhance water conservation in the community by signing the largest agreement by a single project for recycled water use to date.  The Master Service Agreement, signed by the Sparks City Council, authorizes Kiley Ranch to reserve 553.32 acre-feet or 154 million gallons of recycled water per year for landscape and construction irrigation purposes. When combined, phases one and two of the agreement will contribute more than $228,000 per year to the City of Sparks.

Sparks Mayor Geno Martini says, “Kiley Ranch Communities’ significant investment in the use of recycled water speaks volumes to their commitment to preserving our environment and precious natural resources. Their leadership will make Kiley Ranch a special place to live, work, and play.”

Phase one, an agreement to use 79.6 acre-feet of recycled water at a cost of $37,888 per year has already been implemented. Phase two of the agreement reserves 473.72 acre-feet of recycled water at a $190,586 per year.  Recycled water is former wastewater that has been treated and purified for reuse and is usually used for the irrigation and landscaping of non-public areas. It reduces the need to draw from the groundwater aquifer or the Truckee River, thus eliminating the load on domestic water use. An equal amount of potable water is then available for domestic use.

Recycled water is regulated by the State of Nevada and is distributed within its own piping network, keeping recycled water separate from potable water pipelines.

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With its residential development business mired in the recession, Kiley Ranch Communities is battening down the hatches and targeting office and retail development.

The Reno company, which is developing an 800-acre property east of Pyramid Highway in Spanish Springs, last week said it terminated its consulting agreement with Ryten Properties, whose managing member, Paul Curtis, served as chief executive officer of Kiley Ranch Communities.

Curtis, who had been CEO of the company since 2004, remains president of the nonprofit Kiley Ranch Preservancy Foundation, a 200-acre wetland preserve on the ranch property.

Matthew Kiley, president of the development company, said Kiley Ranch Communities continues to tighten its belt as the residential slump continues.  With little life stirring in the residential development industry, Kiley said the company is focused on attracting office and retail development. About 140 acres of Kiley Ranch will be devoted to business parks, and Kiley said infrastructure is in the ground to allow developers to move quickly.

A key piece of that development is a 52-acre retail project. Trammell Crow Co. had been signed on to develop the retail space, but the project lost several potential anchor tenants to RED Development’s Legends at Sparks Marina project.

Trammell Crow closed up shop on its Reno-area development operations this autumn, and Kiley Ranch Communities now is searching for another retailer developer to take on the project.

Before the residential market tanked, Kiley Ranch Communities sold about 76 acres of the 96 acres in the first phase of its residential project to Lennar Corp. and Pacific West Companies.  Pacific West developed the Waterstone condominiums — now offered as rental properties — and Lennar sold off its property.

Kiley said the company isn’t under substantial pressure from its lenders. “We have a very friendly lender,” he said. But he quickly added, “We’re always under pressure to perform.” L. David Kiley, the father of Matt Kiley, took the first steps toward development of a master-planned community in 2004.

The property previously had been operated by the Kiley family since 1929, and the management team led by Curtis laid the groundwork for what the company calls a “resource conservative, environmentally friendly” development.

Kiley last week praised the work of Curtis. “Paul has been instrumental in overseeing all that we have accomplished at Kiley Ranch, and we remain committed to the vision for the community,” he said.  And he noted that the family maintains a deep emotional connection to the land. “To us,” he said, “it’s more than just dirt.”

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It was a fun and enlightening discussion on the various levels of going green. Young professiona’s engaged in discussion and asked some very poignant and timely questions. Here’s a brief recap of what was discussed.

City efforts include:

• Increase recycling programs in the city
• Rehab their existing City Hall to reduce energy usage by almost 50%
• Partner with other agencies to find incentives and rebates for green projects
• Continue to host the Green Summit and educate the public on ways to be green

The Glenn Group recently remodeled their office space and is now seeking LEED Silver certification for this amazing renovation. Valerie explained some of the unique things about the remodel including:

• Recycling or reusing demolished materials including carpet, drywall and doors
• Using products with recycled content like carpet tiles, systems, and furniture
• Energy efficient lighting and daylight sensors create a space that is 25 to 30% more energy efficient
• Increased worker satisfaction, carpooling and other green strategies

Craig, the Eco-broker, discussed the current housing market situation, highlighting the large number of available properties still on the market today. There are a few fairly simple things that a homeowner can do to increase the attractiveness of the home. In general updating the home with energy efficient appliances and fixtures, sealing drafts and replacing old windows with double or triple pane can great increase the energy efficiency. It can also just make the home more comfortable, whether you plan to sell or not.

The 2nd Annual Leadership Summit brought together over 300 Greater Reno-Tahoe business professionals to “Make the Grade” in their personal and professional lives. The packed agenda included:

• Networking with Educational and Youth non-profit organizations in our community as part of the Pebble Project
• Keynote speaker Darian Rodriguez Heyman, executive director of Craigslist Foundation who discussed social entrepreneurship and how young professionals can integrate theis non-profit work into corporate models
• Three breakout sessions which included: educational leadership, mentoring, and the green movement
• Reno Gazette Journal’s “20 Under 40″ Awards program followed by a cocktail reception

For more information on the Reno Tahoe Young Professionals Network, visit www.renotahoeypn.com

Stacey Crowley
Director of Master Planning and Environmental Initiatives, Kiley Ranch Communities

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• a 1-year extension of the tax credit for the production of energy from wind, and a two-year extension of the credit for energy production from other renewable sources, such as geothermal
• an 8-year extension of the tax credits for investment in commercial and residential solar projects, including the removal of the $2000 cap on investments in residential solar electric installations, and the addition of small wind energy and geothermal heat pump projects as qualifying installations for tax credits
• a 5-year extension of the tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial buildings
• a 1-year extension of the tax credit for the construction of new energy-efficient homes
• a 1-year extension of the tax credit for qualified energy-efficiency upgrades to existing homes
• an extension through 2010 of the tax credit for the manufacture of energy-efficient appliances
• a 3-year extension of the authority for state and localities to issue tax-exempt bonds for green building and sustainable design projects

You can read more about these tax credit extensions by clicking here.

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Cover the Waterfront - 15 green books you can actually read at the beach
by Michelle Niijhuis

So maybe you’ll finally have a chance to catch up on some reading this summer. But so many of those books about the environments seem kind of…well, homework-y. What’s a vacationing enviro to do? Turn to Grist for advice, of course! Here are 15 recent page-turners just perfect for stuffing in your beach hemp tote.

1.  The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring
Richard Preston, Random House, 2007

Think nature writing is boring? The Wild Trees is about as boring as a car chase. Master storyteller Richard Preston follows a motley group of professional and amateur botanists into the canopies of the tallest tree in the world, where they explore a sky-high ecosystem almost entirely unknown to humans. A great tale of science and adventure — and a love story to boot.

2.  Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living
Doug Fine, Villard, 2008

A breezy journal of Doug Fine’s attempts to live a low-carbon life in rural New Mexico, despite his lack of gardening and electrical skills. After a year of wrestling with weather, goats, and tax assessors on the Funky Butte Ranch, Fine concludes that “…the greatest impact we can have on crafting a sustainable future is not just by buying ‘green products,’ but rather by actively understanding that every part of life can and should be infused with carbon reduction.”

3.  The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story
Diane Ackerman, W.W. Norton, 2007 

During World War II, Antonia Zabinski, the wife of Polish zookeeper, rescued Resistance fighters and Jews by hiding them in her Warsaw villa — and in the empty zoo cages surrounding it. In this real-life historical drama, Diane Ackerman shows how Antonia’s love for the animal world inspired heroism, even as Nazi romanticism about nature led to grossly different acts.

4.  Winter Study
Nevada Barr, Putnam Adult, 2008

The 14th installment in Nevada Barr’s reliably entertaining National Park Service mystery series is one of her darkest and scariest yet. Winter Study takes our heroine, park ranger Anna Pigeon, to a wolf study at Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, where she contends with all sorts of mayhem, from interagency rivalry to bitter cold to a canine — or human — with murderous intent.

5.  World Made By Hand
James Kunstler, Atlantic Monthly, 2008

An absorbing and disturbing novel about the near future. After a constellation of plagues — war, disease, declining oil supplies, climate change — fracture U.S. society into isolated outposts, former insurance salesmen and software executives are forced to grow their own food, build their own houses, and defend their communities against violence and fanaticism. As dark as Kunstler’s world gets, hints of rural romanticism keep the reader guessing.

Try our locally owned bookstore Sundance Bookstore for these and other environmental books.

Amazon.com, of course, has its own list Enviro Books. Take a look! Amazon.com/Environmental

–Stacey Crowley, Director of Master Planning and Environmental Initiatives - scrowley@kileyranch.net 

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Pyramid at Lazy 5, Friday, July 25, 9 p.m. to Monday, July 28, 5:30 a.m.
Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in each direction on Pyramid Highway beginning Friday, July 25 at 9 p.m. through Monday, July 28 at 5:30 a.m. for improvements. Activity will include construction of a trench to bring underground utilities across Pyramid at Lazy 5. In addition, Sierra Pacific Power Company will be installing a hot gas tab.

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The interconnect, designed and paid for by Kiley Ranch Communities, is a safety measure that will provide a crosswalk and traffic light for students walking to the school.

Kiley Ranch Communities is completing the roadway improvements to accommodate future traffic issues and increase safety on the Pyramid Highway in Spanish Springs. Construction on the improvements began the first week in June and will continue throughout the summer months.

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1.  Why mow when you can peddlemow?

The alternative to the gas or electric powered mower has always been the hand mower, but recently creative individuals have turned their daily commute into a mowing machine.

2.  Solar Burger

We all know that the “charcoal briquettes with combustible lighter fluid” grilling method is somewhat passé and emits more carbon monoxide into the air. Now, with propane, electric and even solar powered grills, you can reduce your footprint and still enjoy an outdoor BBQ.

* Don’t forget that grilling leaner meats can reduce the carcinogens that get released from the fat when grilling at high temps.

3.  Repel naturally

Use DEET-free repellents and avoid the harmful chemical that has been linked to neurological problems in children. Although you may need to apply more frequently, natural bug repellents are safe, kid-safe, and a good habit to get into.

• While grilling, throw sage or rosemary on the rack to repel mosquitos.
• Try mixing one part garlic juice to five parts water in a small spray bottle. Shake well and spray lightly on exposed body parts for an effective repellent lasting up to six hours. Strips of cotton cloth can also be dipped in this mixture and hung in areas, such as patios, as a localized deterrent.

Try an herbal repellent, found in stores and online such as Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent.

When having friends and family over for backyard fun, think about how much waste can be accummulated from paper plates, napkins and plastic cups. Invest in cloth napkins, earth friendly, recyclable or washable plates, cups and silverware and limit the waste. Buy locally, recycle bottles and cans and compost what you can.

Cheers!
scrowley@kileyranch.net

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