Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster New Era (Saturday Edition)

Stephanie Weaver, Staff Writer

Published: May 30, 2009 00:48 EST

After breaking ground about 10 months ago, contractors at the new Lancaster city YMCA are reaching the final stages. Slated to open in September, the "green" building will offer members state-of-the-art facilities while conserving natural resources. Friday afternoon, members of the Green Building Committee of Associated Builders and Contractors Inc.'s Keystone chapter took a tour of the new facility on Harrisburg Avenue behind Clipper Magazine Stadium. Committee members were eager to see how green building techniques were being applied at the "Y." In addition to giving an overview of the layout — which features a six-lane competition pool and high school regulation gym with an indoor track — tour guides Adam Kerr of Cornerstone Design Architects and Tony Vilk of Wohlsen Construction pointed out the many aspects of the structure and its construction that benefit the environment. For one thing, the new YMCA is only 42,000 square feet, compared to 80,000 square feet at the current site at 572 N. Queen St. Smaller buildings have smaller costs, and planners say the new site actually will have more usable space than the Queen Street complex, where hallways and lobbies take up a lot of room.

Besides being smaller, the new site is 20 percent more energy efficient area for area, Kerr said. Water usage will be cut 30 percent. The new building will be largely lit and heated naturally, with large windows surrounding the gym and pool. One corner of the pool's back wall, facing Harrisburg Avenue, will be glass, adding to the "day-lighting" aspect. The majority of the concrete in the structure contains recycled material such as fly ash. "Fly ash is a byproduct of another process, so you're recycling that waste into the concrete," Vilk said. The recycled material in the concrete is post-consumer. The products it came from have "gone out into the world and lived their lives," Kerr said. Organizers plan to put the money saved on maintenance and energy use toward community programs and services. "The intent was so that we can maximize every dollar so that it goes back toward the programming for the community," Lancaster Family YMCA CEO Jeff Kenderdine said.

Environmentally conscious construction can potentially cost more in the beginning, but Kerr said the expected long-term savings and the growing environmental trend in the market encouraged their decision to "go green." "I think it's a statement to the community," Kerr said. "People will, compared to your standard building, have a better experience here." Each of the building's environmentally conscious measures are designed to meet standards in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's Green Building Rating System.

The LEED criteria, designed by the U.S. Green Building Council, was created to guide new construction projects toward energy and material efficiency and sustainability, according to the USGBC Web site. Buildings are awarded points, which determine whether they achieve LEED certification. Buildings that exceed base-level standards can go beyond mere certification to achieve silver, gold or platinum status. Kerr said the YMCA is pursuing a silver rating, which requires a minimum of 33 points. "We sort of went above the standard for LEED," Kerr said. "It's notch number two on a four-story building." The facility's final standing may not be determined for up to two years after its completion, Kerr said, because of the meticulous tabulation and documentation involved with the certification process.

For more information about the project, including a virtual tour of the building, visit lancasterymca.icomm.vertex.net/city.

http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/238212