A leading council on environmental design recognized the first green county fire rescue station in Florida.
Alachua County Fire Rescue Station No. 10 was honored at Tuesday's Alachua County Commission meeting for being a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified building. It was certified in September by the United States Green Building Council.
The county facility department presented the commission with the station's certification plaque Tuesday.
The plaque, which will hang on the front of the building, names the station as the first LEED-certified fire rescue station in Florida.
After the original building design was drafted in 2008, the Alachua County Commission had the station redesigned to meet national green and sustainable standards.
It was completed in 2009.
In order to become certified, buildings must meet certain guidelines.
Guidelines include reducing water use, using technology in bathrooms that cuts down on waste water and using energy-efficient heating, cooling and lighting systems inside the building, according to the U.S. Green Building Council website.
The fire rescue station features a solar heating system that will save 70 percent in hot water costs, said Charlie Jackson, Alachua County facilities manager. Waterless urinals will save 7,500 gallons of water annually. The site also features a rainwater harvesting system that will provide more efficient irrigation.
The fire rescue station is the only county building that is LEED-certified, Jackson said. Three other county buildings are registered and waiting for certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Alachua County Fire Rescue Station, located at 930 SE Fifth St., is now LEED-certified. It is the county's only certified green building and the first station to be certified in Florida.
