Gateway Building Will Be County’s First New “Green” Facility

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 24, 2007

Contact: Ken Jenkins at (914) 995-2829 or Jenkins@westchesterlegislators.com
or Tom Abinanti at (914) 592-7100

Westchester Community College’s newest campus facility, the Gateway Center, will be “green,” according to Kevin Garvey, the school’s physical plant director. Garvey appeared before a joint meeting of the Public Works, Transportation, Labor and Parks and Environment and Energy Committees this past Tuesday. Jenkins called the joint committee meeting to review the final plans for the Gateway project.

“We wanted to ensure that this project was still headed in the right direction, which includes not only cost and time frame, but also whether the building’s design incorporates the latest environmentally-friendly technology available,” Jenkins said.

The Gateway Center is the first new building in more than a decade on the school's main campus in Valhalla. It will be the first new county-owned building constructed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards as set forth by the US Green Building Council.

The 70,000 square foot building will house the college’s Business Programs, the English Language Institute (the county’s largest English as a Second Language educational resource center), a Professional Development Center (which provides workforce training to local companies and their employees), Modern Language Programs, International Student Services and the Volunteer Center.

To be LEED certified, standards regarding erosion control, stormwater management, light pollution reduction, the use of renewable energy and local materials, to name a few, must be met and continued to be maintained after the building’s completion.

“This is a truly historic project in the sense that it should set the tone for the construction of all future public buildings,” said Chair Ken Jenkins (D-Yonkers). “With the development of every new building we expand our physical legacy in the county. It is our duty to make sure that this legacy includes every environmental efficiency possible, setting the example for future generations.”

“Projects like the Gateway Building are needed to preserve the environment,” said County Legislator Thomas Abinanti who chairs the Environment and Energy Committee. “We’re talking about a sustainable society. By taking the lead using nationally recognized environmental standards, we hope to spur others to realize how it’s economically viable to apply ‘green’ principles to a wide range of construction projects.”

Jenkins asked if the project would entail any “surprises” in terms of higher than projected costs and was assured by WCC Construction Management that that the project was on track to stay on budget.