After hearing a presentation by Superintendent Jim Spelhaug at its monthly board meeting, the Bettendorf Chamber of Commerce voted to support the proposed renewal of the Pleasant Valley Community School District Physical Plant & Equipment Levy (PPEL). The vote on renewal takes place on February 13. The Bettendorf Chamber's support was based on trends showing substantial residential growth within the district over the long-term, resulting in increasing enrollment. Such trends increase the need for the PPEL fund. PPEL is used to maintain buildings and grounds; to complete remodeling projects; to purchase or lease technology, vehicles, and equipment; and to support major capital-improvement projects such as building additions or new facilities.

At a community meeting on Friday hosted by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, an official from the Illinois Department of Transportation said that the state will soon make a formal request to Amtrak to study the possibility of bringing commuter train service to the Quad Cities. At the meeting at Rock Island's Abbey Station, Ray Lang (Amtrak's senior director of government affairs) said that Amtrak is aiming to double its ridership by 2020. Lang further said that commuter train service could start in the Quad Cities in as little as two years if Amtrak approves it.

Buildings are definitely energy hogs. The SUV is the environmental bad-boy symbol, but buildings consume more energy than cars and trucks. It's estimated that commercial and residential buildings in the U.S. consume 65 percent of all electricity, as well as 12 percent of drinkable water and 40 percent of all raw materials, according to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, an international organization that is expected in early 2008 to release a report evaluating green building in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

The Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center (ATEEC) has teamed with several partners to develop a museum exhibit, and four learning modules, on sustainable energy. The "Watts Up with Energy" exhibit and modules were designed as fun and interactive ways to educate elementary school students about the importance of energy, energy conservation, and energy sustainability. An opening ceremony will be held at Bettendorf's Family Museum, 2900 Learning Campus Dr., on Saturday, January 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.