Library Puts North Adams Ahead in Green Technology

By Tammy DanielsPrint Story | Email Story
The North Adams Public Library has been recognized by the U.S. Green Buildings Council.
NORTH ADAMS - Visitors to the North Adams Public Library may not have noticed the heavy clear-glass plaque hanging high outside the main entrance. Nestled under the roof and suspended by brass hooks, the glass plate announces that the library - the first in Massachusetts - is fully certified by the U.S. Green Buildings Council. It took about five years to get the certification, Librarian Marcia Gross told the City Council last week. The library was notified earlier this year that it had achieved the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design award. The council recognized the efforts of those involved in attaining it last week. The decision to go green was sparked by concerns over putting large heating and air-conditioning units on the roof when the library's $4.5 million addition and renovation was still in the planning stages. The library building committee looked at using geothermal heating, and turned to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative for grant aid. To get the grant, a photovoltaic system had to be added, and "one thing led to another," said Gross. "It was a long process, a lot of documentation, to get the LEED certification," she said last week. "It was a big team effort by the architects, the contractors ... and all the people [council President Gailanne Cariddi] mentioned helped with this." The more than 10,000-square-foot addition to the 1865 building opened in 2005. Its green features include recycling and reusing building materials, water-free landscaping, energy-efficient lighting and windows, high-rated insulation, use of local labor and its central location. Low VOC, or volatile organic compound, materials were used in construction. (Some materials emit chemicals into the air during their "curing" process.) The LEED rating system is "the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings," according the Green Buildings Council Web site. The LEED designation is based on a point system. Ironically, the photovoltaic system didn't get any points because its output was too low. Of the MTC's $175,553 grant, the PV system received $122,887 - 90 percent of its cost. The balance went to the geothermal system, a set of looping pipes underground which use the earth to heat and cool the fluid flowing through them. According to the LEED case study of the building, the photovoltaic system's siting on the roof is too shady for it to reach its full potential - a sacrifice to maintain the building's historic character. "This building ended up using 30 percent less energy than what's considered a code minimum building," said Michael Tillou, a green building consultant on the project. "That's really remarkable because in the architecture and engineering field right now, there's a great push to make all buildings 30 percent better than the current code. North Adams is ahead of the curve. [You] already have one of these buildings - you're a leader in this." "It's a significant achievement for the library and everyone involved in this project," said Mayor John Barrett III.
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North Adams Council Gives Initial OK to Zoning Change

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council wrapped up business in about 30 minutes on Tuesday, moving several ordinance changes forward. 
 
A zoning change that would add a residential property to the commercial zone on State Road was adopted to a second reading but met with some pushback. The Planning Board recommended the change.
 
The vote was 5-2, with two other councilors abstaining, indicating there may be difficulty reaching a supermajority vote of six for final passage.
 
Centerville Sticks LLC (Tourists resort) had requested the extension of the Business 2 zone to cover 935 State Road. Centerville had purchased the large single-family home adjacent the resort in 2022. 
 
Ben Svenson, principal of Centerville, had told a joint meeting of the Planning Board and City Council earlier this month that it was a matter of space and safety. 
 
The resort had been growing and an office building across Route 2 was filled up. 
 
"We've had this wonderful opportunity to grow our development company. That's meant we have more office jobs and we filled that building up," he said. "This is really about safety. Getting people across Route 2 is somewhat perilous."
 
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