City Updates

Greensburg is buzzing with projects large and small. In this report, we focus on what is happening on the city government level. Thanks to City Administrator Steve Hewitt for the following updates.

CITY HALL

Greensburg City employees moved into their new building in late October, and City Council has already held two meetings in their new chambers. Staff are busy at work both with their ongoing city management activities, and with all the new projects associated with the local rebuilding effort. This 4,700 square foot building is going for LEED Platinum certification. When that is achieved, it will make the facility the first new construction LEED Platinum city hall in the country. (In March, the San Jose, California City Hall was awarded Platinum rating of LEED-EB, or Existing Building, for their sustainable retrofit.) Greensburg City Hall was designed by BNIM Architects and features solar panels, geothermal technology, rainwater collection and re-use, a green roof, use of reclaimed wood and bricks, and many other sustainable characteristics. The bricks were salvaged from Greensburg's power plant, which was destroyed in the May 2007 tornado. GreenTown's Sustainable Building Database goes into greater detail about the building.

STREETSCAPE PROJECT

According to Steve, the last details of the Main Street Streetscape are being attended to, with completion projected by Thanksgiving - weather permitting, of course. The new street and sidewalks are lined with beautiful native grasses, which will be kept watered by capturing and re-using rain water. The project includes attractive new signage and streetlights.

STREET REPAIR

A complete street and curb repair project is underway. Not only was there damage from the tornado, but the recovery and rebuilding efforts have taken their toll. Steve estimates that this effort will continue through Spring 2010.

PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING

The City's new Public Works Department building is under construction and is going for LEED gold. This is an ambitious goal for a shop building, and the architects and engineers on-site are finding ways to garner enough points for this certification. This facility will house the city works staff: water, sewer, parks, and sanitation departments. It's projected to be completed in February 2010.

PARTNERSHIP WITH CESSNA

At a press conference held October 26 in the new City Hall, representatives from the City and Cessna Aircraft Company announced a new partnership between the two entities. Cessna Chairman, President and CEO Jack Pelton and Greensburg Mayor Bob Dixson signed a Memorandum of Understanding to "explore areas of possible cooperation on environmental issues". For details about this unique agreement, readers are invited to check out Cessna's press release. Steve Hewitt remarked that the Wichita-based corporation will be a big supporter of Greensburg's new municipal airport, helping with the design and engineering and other aspects of the project.

ON DECK

It is hoped that the Big Well Museum will get underway by next May. This building, going for LEED Platinum, will be constructed next to the water tower and will also house the gift shop. Steve also has hopes that the City can get started on a green industrial park in the not-too-distant future. The City is in the planning stages for a reverse osmosis water treatment plant, which will purify local drinking water. There are also plans for a green space and memorial park, connecting the downtown to the Big Well campus.

Finally, there is an ongoing effort to create more jobs locally and attract businesses to be a part of the Greensburg community. As readers can see, our town has a lot to offer. With the addition of the new hospital and school next year, new retail spaces, and many exciting other projects, Greensburg will become increasingly more attractive to visitors, new residents, and companies looking to make an investment in an exciting venue on the prairie.

photo credit: Joah Bussert

Comments

[Drew Abussell]

Fixing the roof requires you to be fast enough and efficient so as not to last too long in the scorching heat. You might get a splitting headache the moment you are done with it but as long as you can do it when there is not too much sun, then you are just going to be fine. A good time to do it would be early in the morning. That way; the heat from the sun is not hot enough for you and it is not enough to make your roof heat up.

[shanti]

great job all at Greenbuild 2009! It was truly an inspirational time to see the good folks of Greenbuild learn about Greensburg.