'Green' building up and running

It may be on its way to becoming the first certified "green" building in the city, but most Naperville Park District officials say they're most excited about how the new south maintenance facility will improve services to residents.

"One of the really nice things is we're finally able to offer some administrative functions on this side of town, like registration for programs, that we've never been able to do before," said Jennifer Hendricks, a district project manager.

The new $4.5 million building opened for business last week and will mainly serve as a hub for maintenance vehicles and equipment. But it also will save the city's large southern population copious amounts of time they might normally spend driving to the downtown administrative offices.

The district received a $100,000 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation for energy-efficient design. The efficiencies include a reflective roof, increased insulation, drought-tolerant landscaping, lighting controls, natural lighting, sun shades and window glazing.

"Every day at 5 p.m., the lights go off automatically," said Laura Rudow, superintendent of parks, whose new office is in the building. "We've got sensors in the rooms, so even if the lights are turned on and no one is around, they'll turn off automatically. No one's going to leave the lights on by accident."

The district is still in the process of getting certified for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The designation is the standard of measurement for so-called "green" buildings that are environmentally friendly.

It could be several months before the district knows whether they will receive the designation.

Initially the 16,400-square-foot building at Book Road and Conan Doyle Drive was going to feature a number of advanced eco-friendly designs, but Hendricks said cost increases in brick-and-mortar construction aspects forced district officials to scrub most of the "green" amenities.

Hendricks said officials will monitor the operating costs of the building to make sure they are realizing the projected savings from the energy-efficient design. The information also will be used to determine design elements for future buildings and possibly retrofitting existing structures.

The district is expected to save 20 percent on energy costs because of the design and equipment efficiencies.

"It's very hard to predict what we're going to be using," she said. "We are monitoring everything for budgeting purposes."

The building is open from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, but hours may shift depending on public use and need. There is meeting space available, but district officials haven't worked out a scheduling protocol to open it up for public use yet, Rudow said.