Students begin to fill new dorm at Mesa State
By EMILY ANDERSON/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The new Mesa State College residence hall on North and Cannell avenues will open to a full house this school year.
More than 100 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday for the $21.3 million, three-building, 93,524-square-foot complex, which will house 304 students. It has a two-story central building with common areas, a four-story building on Cannell Avenue with 24 apartments housing six students each, and a five-story building on North Avenue with retail space on the first floor and 32 suites housing five to six students apiece on the other four floors. A second-story skywalk connects the buildings.
Each building has the same amenities as other residence halls, plus environmentally friendly technology such as solar panels, motion-sensor lights and a connection to a geothermal field that is serving the college’s teaching and business classroom building.
Even with the new rooms, Mesa State is bursting with on-campus residents. The number fluctuates each day, Housing and Residence Life Director Chip Thomas said, but 20 to 25 students could end up staying in hotels this year until rooms become available for them.
Thomas said he hasn’t seen much of a decrease in upperclassmen choosing to live on campus, even though Grand Junction’s apartment vacancy rate increased recently. The trend is likely more about convenience than rent, Thomas said.
“You can park here, you can walk to campus, everything’s here,” Thomas said, adding the residence halls have free laundry, cable and Wi-Fi service.
Fall-semester classes start Monday at Mesa State. Some students have moved into the halls, including more than 100 in the new complex, but most students will move into on-campus housing this weekend.
Email EMILY ANDERSON
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Xcel drops proposed surcharge on solar customers
Xcel drops proposed surcharge on solar customers
DENVER — Xcel Energy has withdrawn a proposal for a surcharge on Colorado homes and small businesses with solar panels.
Xcel, the state's largest electricity supplier, initially said it wanted to charge solar-equipped customers to help pay the cost of distribution and transmission lines to their homes and businesses.
Xcel said Tuesday the proposal had caused "significant customer confusion." The utility told state regulators it was dropping the plan.
Gov. Bill Ritter welcomed the move, saying the fee would have been a step backward and would have threatened jobs in the solar-energy industry.
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission had scheduled a hearing on the proposal for Wednesday.
___
August 4, 2009 - 2:13 p.m. Copyright 2009, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP Online news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Contact the CO PUC Now!
UNFAIR RATE INCREASE PENALIZES XCEL ENERGY
CUSTOMERS WITH SOLAR PV SYSTEMS!
Xcel Energy Proposes Discriminatory Rate Hike to Penalize Solar Energy Households
Residents with grid-tie solar systems connected to Xcel Energy will be subject to a SOLAR PENALTY under a proposal currently under review by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
PUBLIC ATTENDANCE AT THE PUC’S PUBLIC HEARING IS IMPERATIVE!
Every residence with a solar system will be charged a ratcheted MINIMUM MONTHLY CHARGE— regardless of how much electricity is generated by the solar system in that month. If a solar household purchases electricity from Xcel Energy in ANY twelve-month period, Xcel will charge the customer for that same amount of electricity as A MINIMUM CHARGE EVERY SINGLE MONTH FOR THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS—even in months when you are producing all of your own electricity! If you purchase electricity from Xcel Energy in more than one month, the new minimum monthly charge will be pegged to the month in which you purchase the GREATEST number of kilowatthours! These charges are IN ADDITION to the current minimum $7.50 per month already paid by solar customers! Xcel Energy is proposing its third increase in residential rates this year, and on top of that—targeting residential solar customers in particular. Under Xcel Energy’s proposal: THIS PROPOSAL WILL PENALIZE COLORADO RESIDENTS FOR INSTALLING SOLAR SYSTEMS AND REDUCE SOLAR SYSTEM “PAYBACK” DRAMATICALLY. IT IS A NEGATIVE NATIONAL PRECEDENT THAT REJECTS THE SPIRIT OF AMENDMENT 37 AND STALLS THE CREATION OF THE NEW ENERGY ECONOMY!
JOIN US IN TAKING ACTION:
1. Contact your solar installer to confirm your attendance at the PUC’s public comment hearing on Wednesday, 5 August, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 1560 Broadway, Suite 1550, Denver, 80202.
A public outcry must be heard at the PUC to stop this proposal before it becomes energy policy
in Colorado. A large crowd of concerned—and polite--solar owners is our best defense against
this outrageous proposal. Remember that we are speaking to the PUC as it considers Xcel Energy’s proposal. Xcel Energy made the proposal, not the PUC.
2. While it is best to show up in person, you can send an email to register your objections with the PUC. http://dora.state.co.us/pls/real/CCTS_oweb/complaint_form Re: Docket # 09AL-299E
3. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact your solar installer or check out the website of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (CoSEIA): http://www.coseia.org
CUSTOMERS WITH SOLAR PV SYSTEMS!
Xcel Energy Proposes Discriminatory Rate Hike to Penalize Solar Energy Households
Residents with grid-tie solar systems connected to Xcel Energy will be subject to a SOLAR PENALTY under a proposal currently under review by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
PUBLIC ATTENDANCE AT THE PUC’S PUBLIC HEARING IS IMPERATIVE!
Every residence with a solar system will be charged a ratcheted MINIMUM MONTHLY CHARGE— regardless of how much electricity is generated by the solar system in that month. If a solar household purchases electricity from Xcel Energy in ANY twelve-month period, Xcel will charge the customer for that same amount of electricity as A MINIMUM CHARGE EVERY SINGLE MONTH FOR THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS—even in months when you are producing all of your own electricity! If you purchase electricity from Xcel Energy in more than one month, the new minimum monthly charge will be pegged to the month in which you purchase the GREATEST number of kilowatthours! These charges are IN ADDITION to the current minimum $7.50 per month already paid by solar customers! Xcel Energy is proposing its third increase in residential rates this year, and on top of that—targeting residential solar customers in particular. Under Xcel Energy’s proposal: THIS PROPOSAL WILL PENALIZE COLORADO RESIDENTS FOR INSTALLING SOLAR SYSTEMS AND REDUCE SOLAR SYSTEM “PAYBACK” DRAMATICALLY. IT IS A NEGATIVE NATIONAL PRECEDENT THAT REJECTS THE SPIRIT OF AMENDMENT 37 AND STALLS THE CREATION OF THE NEW ENERGY ECONOMY!
JOIN US IN TAKING ACTION:
1. Contact your solar installer to confirm your attendance at the PUC’s public comment hearing on Wednesday, 5 August, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 1560 Broadway, Suite 1550, Denver, 80202.
A public outcry must be heard at the PUC to stop this proposal before it becomes energy policy
in Colorado. A large crowd of concerned—and polite--solar owners is our best defense against
this outrageous proposal. Remember that we are speaking to the PUC as it considers Xcel Energy’s proposal. Xcel Energy made the proposal, not the PUC.
2. While it is best to show up in person, you can send an email to register your objections with the PUC. http://dora.state.co.us/pls/real/CCTS_oweb/complaint_form Re: Docket # 09AL-299E
3. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact your solar installer or check out the website of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (CoSEIA): http://www.coseia.org
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