Kenmore earns LEED gold award with City Hall Project
Published 10:51 am Thursday, December 22, 2011
When Congressman Jay Inslee arrived at Kenmore City Hall last night, people were thrilled to see their District 1 representative. Mayor David Baker and Inslee were quick to shake hands and have a brief chat before several others greeted Inslee as he strolled into the City Council chambers.
Inslee was on hand to present the city of Kenmore with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certificate for its City Hall Project.
Opened in May 2010, the 36,930-square-foot City Hall (15,000 square feet for underground parking) features permeable paving to manage and minimize stormwater runoff, solar panels on the roof that provide at least 2.5 percent of the building’s energy use, water-efficient plumbing fixtures and more.
Inslee feels that other cities in the state and country should follow Kenmore’s actions, which are both crucial for the environment and one’s pocketbook.
“It’s savings for the taxpayers, so you have less energy costs; it’s savings for the salmon because you’re not putting some stormwater into the lake; it’s savings for our kids because you’re teaching about solar power,” Inslee said after the meeting. “So this is a win-win-win for a lot of folks and it’s something to brag about. I think Kenmore leadership and the whole community ought to be proud of it — I certainly am.”
Baker — whom Inslee swore back into office along with Glenn Rogers last night — said, “The congressman, without fail, has taken time out of his busy schedule to meet with us,” referring to helping retain Kenmore’s post office and discussing State Route 522 traffic.
Representing the Cascadia Green Building Council at last night’s meeting, Joel Sisolak said that people in Kenmore are enthusiastic about sustainability. Kenmore’s Bastyr University also garnered a LEED platinum award for its student village.
“It’s just inspiring to me at a time where, the economy’s not in the best shape, that our places of learning and our places of leading are still showing a commitment to what’s important for the future,” Sisolak said.
