The Whitefish City Council voted Dec. 1 to construct its new city hall according to green building standards administered by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED. It would be the only building in Whitefish with a LEED certification, which councilors agreed is an attractive quality.
The council has not yet specified at what rating level it intends to build the downtown centerpiece, but in a 4-3 vote determined it would pursue LEED certification at some level.
The council was divided on whether to seek LEED certification due to the associated costs, and Mayor John Muhlfeld cast the deciding vote in favor of LEED.
LEED is a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED is intended to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.
All of the councilors were in favor of constructing the city hall in a green and efficient manner, but some balked at the notion of paying for administrative oversight.
“I don’t like paying for paperwork. And I’m a lawyer,” said councilor John Anderson.
There would be an additional cost of $1,200 to register and an additional fee of $50,000 to $75,000 to file all the paperwork, as well as follow up work that Mosaic Architect would have to do.
City Manager Chuck Stearns said the biggest addition in cost would come from investments in infrastructure. As an example, he said achieving a higher standard or LEED certification might entail installing a more efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
“You pay for some administrative qualification, but the paper work isn’t the big ticket item,” Stearns said. “As you go up the LEED scale, you spend more money to reap savings over the lifetime of the building.”
At a recent meeting with the Whitefish Future City Hall Steering Committee, Ben Tintinger of Mosaic Architect explained the benefits of LEED building. He said with a sustainable design the city can save an average of 30 percent in energy, 35 percent in carbon, 30 to 50 percent in water use and 50 to 90 percent in waste costs. There is also energy savings, verified performance, increased value, reduced liability and improved risk management, and enhanced productivity.
“On the financial front, you can’t argue that green buildings aren’t a smart financial decision,” Tintinger said.
The cost premiums for a green building could be anywhere from a 0.4 percent increase to a 29 percent increase. He said Mosaic has already figured a 3 percent cost increase into its proposal.
Tintinger said there are points a building receives to achieve different categories of LEED certification, and the more points the higher the construction cost. The new Whitefish City Hall building has already earned 46 points, which means it would be certified. Now the council must decide if it wishes to pursue a higher certification, such as silver or gold.
While some councilors proposed holding the contractors to a high level of green building by using their own standards, Tintinger told members of the steering committee, which recommended pursuing LEED certification, that the benefits of LEED are that it “holds the contractors feet to the fire.”
A new City Hall building has been in the cards for Whitefish since 1987 when it was identified as a priority in an urban renewal plan. In 2005, a downtown master plan also specified the need for a new facility.
As the city of Whitefish moves forward with its final design plans for a new downtown city hall and parking structure, which would not be LEED certified, officials continue to grapple with cost estimates and a final design schematic.
One estimate recently presented to the Whitefish City Council puts the building’s price tag at $14.6 million, but the total cost could be considerably less depending on the size and design of the building.
Mosaic Architecture submitted several cost estimates for the construction of the city hall and parking structure, with the highest projected budget estimate of $14.6 million accounting for a 30,000-square-foot building and full basement.
Whitefish city employees are spread out across several locations and the existing building is outmoded, according to the downtown master plan. The city looked at remodeling the existing building, but it wasn’t logistical or financially feasible due to structural deficiencies.
The parking structure will range from 190 to 265 parking spots, while a study showed the need for 200 additional downtown parking spaces during periods of high demand and congestion in the downtown area.
More information is available at the city of Whitefish website at www.cityofwhitefish.org.