Vegas PBS builds educational campus

For four decades, Vegas PBS (KLVX-TV) has grown with Southern Nevada to become so much more than the black-and-white Channel 10 that broadcast live meetings by the State Gaming Control Board and impromptu in-studio visits from the infamous Rat Pack. Fast forward to the present and Vegas PBS has transformed itself into an innovative powerhouse known for its advances in green building, homeland security, technology and education, in addition to its quality PBS programming.

In 2009, Vegas PBS completed construction on its new Vegas PBS Educational Technology Campus, the first television station in the United States and Canada to publicly apply for LEED certification prior to construction. Beginning with its all-green groundbreaking ceremony, the construction of the building and materials used to create it, met the highest standards for sustainability and eco friendliness.

The Vegas PBS Educational Technology Campus, home to Vegas PBS studios and offices, the Clark County School District's Virtual High School and Educational Media Services, Emergency Data -- casting system and public meeting rooms and training facilities will house all lead-free electronics when it officially opens its doors to the public in early 2010. The Virtual High School will call the new building home beginning with the 2009-2010 school year.

The new Vegas PBS Educational Technology Campus will help Vegas PBS build upon its already successful educational programs, such as, "Ready to Learn" and "Keeping Kids Fit." "Ready to Learn" provides literacy and health-based workshops to schools and families with approximately 90 percent of its outreach efforts focused on the school district's Title I schools.

The "Keeping Kids Fit" program's primary goal is to promote a lifetime of healthy habits by starting healthy living habits at a young age. Since its introduction in December 2007, "Keeping Kids Fit" has helped nearly 3,000 children and their families engage in a healthier lifestyle with locally developed workshops.

Vegas PBS' new facility is also the first television broadcast building built to Media Security and Reliability Council standards. This ensures that the building can withstand large-scale seismic shocks and still serve as a major hub for creating and transmitting information to citizens, first responders and outside news affiliates throughout the country.