The Town of The Blue Mountains, ON built an energy-efficient community hall on the site of a former service station.
Contaminated earth at the site was trucked away for cleaning, which solved an ongoing problem of pollutants seeping into the nearby river. Built to achieve LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification, the building has energy-efficient features like superior insulation, small, strategically located hot water heaters, and a ground-source heat pump. Other green features include rainwater capture and use, sustainable choice of materials, and superior indoor air quality.
The new town hall opened in May 2011 on the decontaminated site and has quickly become a community hub.
Results
Environmental | Economic | Social |
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Challenges
- The discovery of far more contamination at the service station site than expected
- Overcoming the skepticism of permanent residents about whether such a project was affordable
- Reaching out to a community with a large number of temporary residents, like cottagers and skiers
Lessons learned
- Provide political leaders with complete, accurate information to give them the chance to champion the project.
- Engage the public from an early stage and keep them informed throughout.
- Get creative with communications, like using known gathering places to get your messages out.
Resources
Partners and Collaborators
- Town of The Blue Mountains
- Peto MacCallum Consulting Engineers
- Zubek, Patten, Emo, Thompson
- C.C. Tatham & Associates
- Chamberlain Architect Services
- FCM's Green Municipal Fund
Project Contact
David Finbow
Director, Planning and Building Services
Town of The Blue Mountains, ON
T. 519 599-3131