The City of Corner Brook received $895,100 in support today from the Newfoundland and Labrador Green Fund to help make its new city hall an environmentally-friendly structure. The new building will be certified silver under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system and will include various energy efficient components.

"Projects such as the new city hall in Corner Brook represent a tremendous opportunity to showcase our environmental leadership in this province," said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation. "The building will incorporate extensive sustainable energy savings initiatives, as well as a number of features which will further augment the city�s green building goals. The environment is truly at the forefront of this design."

The new city hall concept intends to draw together under one complex the administrative function of city hall, a public library and the Corner Brook Museum and Archives. The building design incorporates a multitude of environmentally-focused features such as a green roof and a Window on the World (WOW) building performance system. A green roof is one that is planted with various types of vegetation to provide natural air conditioning for the building; includes a water reservoir to reduce run off and provides a habitat for birds, as well as outdoor leisure space for individuals. WOW technology is an electronic system which publicly displays the building�s energy performance in a measurable way and permits individuals to learn about energy savings.

"The guiding principles in the design of this facility include sustainable measures that complement the community values that are predominant in Corner Brook," said the Honourable Danny Williams, MHA for Humber West. "This city has a long-standing reputation for being a green community, and the construction of the new city hall is a further testament to this environmental conscience. I applaud the leadership that has been shown in this project."

"The proposed site for the new city hall, which also includes a new library, is in the centre of the downtown area," said the Honourable Tom Marshall, MHA for Humber East. "It features one of the remaining heritage buildings in the city, an old courthouse, which is the home of the Corner Brook Museum. Combining a landmark structure with sound environmental measures is a wonderful project for the area, and I am delighted with the collaborative effort that will see so many important initiatives being addressed through this project."

The Mayor of Corner Brook, Charles Pender, said the city is anxious to achieve LEED certification and showcase its efforts in the new city hall complex.

"We are very excited about the many sustainable characteristics of this building, such as energy conservation which exceeds the National Building Code Standard by 25 per cent, and water conservation of approximately 50 per cent via a drip irrigation system for our green roof," said Mayor Pender. "All of this will help us achieve the silver LEED certification, thereby formally recognizing our new city hall as a green building."

Funding for the project comes from the Newfoundland and Labrador Green Fund, a three-year, $25 million program which is supported by both the federal and provincial governments. This funding is to support projects geared toward environmental sustainability and provide real reductions in GHG emissions.

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2009 06 16                                                    10:20 a.m.