Van Buren seeks LEED effort, gets park donation

The city of Van Buren is seeking to make its new senior center one of just a few LEED certified buildings within Crawford County.

Mike LeJong of MAHG Architecture presented the plans for the senior center to the Van Buren City Council earlier this week. Following the Council's vote to approve his plans, the city will now move forward with the $2.6 million project, which was included as one of the projects passed in a 1% sales tax vote approved by city voters last June.

According to Mayor Bob Freeman, with the push for LEED certification, the city will expend an additional $20,000 for a consultant on the project. Even with the additional funds being spent on the project, he said LEED certification was not the ultimate goal.

"The driver is not to get the label of being LEED certified, but it's that going through the process to be LEED certified means that you're doing the right things as far your materials … in regards to environmental friendliness, your materials, your recycling, you're building the building to be the most energy efficient that's possible, making the trades between dollars and efficiency."

He said while his goal was an energy efficient building, he did not want to spend more money than would be saved through energy efficiency.

"For example, we could be more energy efficient with the heating and cooling system using a geothermal system, but we can't afford a geothermal system. So we've got to say, 'Ok. We can't take it to that extreme because of dollars, but we'll make a trade and we'll make sure that everything they're doing as far as lights, windows, natural light, the efficiency of the building, it's an energy efficiency issue for cost-savings in the long run for the operation of the building.'"

Due to the fact that the city will not pour tons of money into the project, it may not achieve an LEED Gold Certification, like Van Buren's King Elementary School did, but he said it will still be a benefit to the taxpayer.

And while the new senior center at Knox and Lafayette will be a nice example of new construction in a generally older section of town, Freeman said visitors should not expect "that new car smell."

The reason, he said, is because of the environmentally-friendly materials that will be used during construction.

"But it's also using materials, paints, floor coverings that mill work, stains, that don't give off odors that are really pollutants," Freeman said.

Following final design plans, along with bidding the project, Freeman expects construction of the senior center to begin in August with an expected completion in August 2014.

A transitional period of 30 days is expected, though he said moving into the facility should be a quick process since both the old and new senior centers are adjacent to each other.

The Council also voted on Monday night (April 29) to accept a donation of 55.35 from acres from the Coleman and Rausch families.

The property, which Freeman said is valued at about $1 million, sits behind a Rausch Coleman housing development off exit 3 on Interstate 40.

In donating the land, Rob Coleman and John Rausch said in a joint statement that the gift is a thank you to the city.

"The City of Van Buren has been a partner with us in providing affordable housing to the citizens of Van Buren over the past 50 (years) and for that we are appreciative," they said. "The Coleman and Rausch families wish to express their gratitude and thank the city by providing to the City of Van Buren 55.35 acres to be used as a wilderness park."

In donating the land, the men requested that the park be named for "a great patriot and his wife, Mr. Chad and B.A. Colley."

Closing and transfer of the property, which is held by Rausch Coleman and is debt-free, is preliminarily scheduled to take place on Sept. 3 at Western Arkansas Title Company in Van Buren.

In other business, the city of Van Buren also entered into a 25-year lease agreement with the U.S. Corps of Engineers for Lee Creek Park.

While the boat launch will remain open and free, Freeman said cleanup is required at the site. He hopes to have the park, which the city is leasing for $1 per year, open to the public by Spring 2014.