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Last updated on Saturday, December 29, 2012
(BLOOMINGTON) - The City of Bloomington announced that Bloomington’s historic City Hall has achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification through the U.S. Green Building Council.
"This is a remarkable achievement for a former factory that is more than 100 years old," said Mayor Mark Kruzan. "City Hall is a real asset for downtown Bloomington, and the fact that it's such a great model of both sustainability and historic preservation just adds to its value."
City Hall is the first City-owned building to achieve this distinction, pursued as part of the Green Building Ordinance that was adopted in 2009. The measures taken to achieve the certification are expected to reduce resource consumption and operation costs and to improve the working environment for employees.
"By taking care of the basic things, common-sensical things, you can get pretty far in achieving LEED certification," said Barry Collins, who oversees building operations for City Hall and several other City facilities.
The LEED program is a third-party-verified certification program that is available for existing buildings, new construction and neighborhoods. To achieve certification through the program, a project must satisfy criteria in the areas of energy and water use, sustainable management practices, site management, air quality and waste reduction.
"We're so proud of this achievement," said Sustainability Coordinator Jacqui Bauer. "It was a lot of work, but going through the steps of LEED certification allowed us to increase our understanding of how the building operates, and how we can continue to improve efficiency in the future."
The Green Building Ordinance requires the City to certify affected buildings through LEED if the improvements required will have a 10-year payback period or less, which is equivalent to a 10 percent return or better on an investment. As the next step in remaining compliant with the ordinance, City staff will work with a consultant in 2013 to assess the Twin Lakes Recreation Center for LEED certification.
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