OCTOBER 2025CONSTRUCTIONBUSINESSREVIEW.COM8IN MYOPINIONCONGRESS CUTS CRITICAL ENERGY INCENTIVES FOR SCHOOLSBy Theresa Lehman, Director of Sustainable Services, Miron Construction Co. Inc. Much has been discussed about the `Big Beautiful Bill' signed into law. What people may not know is that the bill repealed key federal tax incentives supporting energy affordability, security and resilience throughout the U.S. at a time when we need it most, especially if we are going to successfully achieve local and state carbon neutrality goals. Having worked in the construction sector for more than 25 years, I have witnessed firsthand how tax incentives enable upgrades and improvements to community facilities like schools, while supporting good-paying, union construction jobs and saving taxpayer money that can be reinvested in education. Menasha Joint School District's (MJSD) Maplewood Intermediate/Middle School is a great example of what the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax incentives can do. Originally built in the 1970s, the existing Maplewood Middle School was overcrowded. After analyzing several options, MJSD decided to build a new, larger and modern school.The $99.7 million referendum was passed in November of 2022. Construction began in 2023 and will be open for the 2025-2026 school year. The referendum intended that the building would be energy efficient, including a geothermal heating and cooling system, which would lower the annual energy costs by nearly 30 percent compared to a code-compliant building and the structure of the school would be ready to someday support a roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) system.Beyond being high-performing, the referendum was also intended for the school to be healthy. The materials chosen for the project do not contain volatile organic compounds (VOC) that trigger Theresa Lehman
< Page 7 | Page 9 >