It’s always good to have people in an area that live up to the fundamental duties towards their area’s environment and it’s always better to have a whole town doing the same. Oakville is a town in southern Ontario, located in Halton Region on Lake Ontario halfway between Toronto and Hamilton, has been recognized for its commitment to sustainable building design.
The town’s long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability has been recognized once again by the Canada Green Building Council, with the achievement of the Trafalgar Park site, home to the Trafalgar Park Community Centre and Fire Station as it met the requirements of LEED Silver certification.
It is not the first time for Oakville to have achieved this feat but it’s the fifth time that it was able to achieve the LEED certification, With Sixteen Mile Sports Complex having awarded Gold certification in 2012, with Queen Elizabeth Park Cultural and Community Centre and Oakville Transit achieving Silver certification in 2014. The North Operations Depot was LEED Silver certified in 2016.
“Achieving LEED Silver certification for the Trafalgar Park site highlights the importance Town Council places on reducing our environmental footprint by designing facilities that are energy-efficient and environmental-friendly, Environmental sustainability continues to be an area of focus for Town Council in moving our vision forward to be the most livable town in Canada.”, said Mayor Rob Burton.
Trafalgar Park Community Centre, located at 133 Rebecca St., officially opened to the public in September 2018.
The 65,000-square-foot facility features an NHL-size ice surface, public meeting space, fitness center, full-size gymnasium, indoor walking track, fully accessible outdoor playground and tennis courts that are converted into an artificial outdoor rink in the winter.
It also includes an older adult center that replaces the former Oakville Seniors Centre on Kerr Street. Fire Station#3, located next to the community center at 168 Kerr St., also opened in September 2018. It includes four bays housing a fire pumper, platform truck, incident command vehicle, a dedicated communications vehicle and adequate space for an additional heavy rescue truck in the future. The station also features a multimedia fire education center.
Both buildings have a number of environmentally-friendly features such as:
• Close proximity to public transit, along with carpool parking and short-term and long-term bicycle storage space available on-site. This helps to promote alternative methods of transportation for staff and the public.
• Installation of a stormwater management system designed to capture and treat 90 percent of rainfall occurring as stormwater run-off.
• Exterior landscaping around the buildings is designed to conserve the use of potable water, with a 44 percent reduction of indoor potable water.
• Energy-efficient light bulbs throughout the interior of both the community centre and fire station, with a daylight and occupancy sensors to ensure lights are turned off when an area is not in use.
• Proper waste management practices were followed throughout the site redevelopment and construction process, with more than 75 percent of demolition and construction waste diverted.
• This site only uses refrigerants that have a low environmental impact.
• Both buildings will implement a green education and green housekeeping programs, using certified green products and cleaning processes to promote a healthy indoor environment.
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