By Jim Barnes February 1 at 3:56 PM

Prince William County officials last week unveiled plans for a STEM Education Center at the countys sanitary landfill on Dumfries Road near Independent Hill.

Billed as an interpretative education center for science, technology, engineering and math, the facility would be used to teach students and the public about environmental issues and challenges, Tom Smith, Prince Williams solid waste division chief, said at a public information session Wednesday.

The center would cost an estimated $3million to $5million to build, though, and no money is budgeted for its construction, Smith said. The county is seeking partners and grants to cover the capital costs, he said.

What were proposing to do is use the Living Building Challenge ... which really makes the building like its self-sufficient, Smith said. The Living Building Challenge is a certification program that sets standards for green buildings.

Smith said that the education center would treat and recycle its own water and create its own power. It would not even be hooked up to the power line, he said, describing the center as a multipurpose-type building that would be used by residents, researchers, county employees and students.

Our students and youth can learn about green buildings, how to properly recycle and reuse, and ... ecology through this building, Smith said.

Graduate students studying architecture at Catholic University have developed designs for the center, which would include gallery space for educational exhibits, an auditorium, a laboratory, classrooms and office space, he said.

The building would be the centerpiece of the landfills Eco-Park, which Smith said started several years ago with a series of initiatives to make the landfill more environmentally friendly. The Eco-Park includes programs to divert waste materials, capture gases produced at the landfill for energy use and make the landfills buffer area available for environmental studies by community groups.

The landfill covers more than 1,000 acres, including about 380 acres of buffer, Smith said. The buffer zone is mostly wooded and has a five-acre wetlands project, he said.

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Pr. William officials propose education center at Landfills Eco-Park