FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2012

HEATH - An announcement was made at today’s meeting of the Board of Directors of the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority regarding a national, eco-friendly achievement. The Port Authority recently received confirmation from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that the new Horton Building, which opened in July, has attained certification for core and shell buildings under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system. USGBC certification is the international standard for environmentally-friendly buildings and the Horton Building is the first new, commercial office building in Central Licking County to receive this distinction among six LEED-certified buildings in Licking County.

"With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC’s vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation,' said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO, and Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, the Port Authority’s Horton Building is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement.'

With the Certification, the Port Authority’s new building becomes only the second project in Ohio to obtain this particular LEED-CS system category of rating under the more stringent v2009 core and shell building guidelines. The new rating system places more accountability on the builder to identify recyclable percentages of building materials and comprehensive minimization of construction waste. Additionally, the design must incorporate state of the art fixtures and building systems that will result in an appreciable reduction in expended natural resources.

"This was a green project in more ways than one,” said Rick Platt, Port Authority President and CEO. "The Green Building Council’s approval of LEED Certification is much-deserved recognition of the efforts our architect, engineers, contractors, and entire Port Authority team made to undertake a project that was not only green from a cost-competitive standpoint but also green from an eco-friendly standpoint. LEED Certification is also a validation of the wisdom of buying local. Our extraordinary efforts to incorporate locally-sourced materials like Bowerston Shale brick from Hanover and AGC Glass from Hebron, among others, are all part of achieving LEED Certification and we’re proud to have done it."

A critical review of the project reveals the close coordination that was required between the architectural firm, Wachtel & McAnally Architects/Planners, and the general contractor, Robertson Construction. Both local companies met their credit goals. In fact, during the construction phase, the team captured sixteen points out of a possible seventeen, missing the last point by a mere percentage point.

The Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority is the largest, self-sustaining Port Authority among more than 50 in Ohio and the fourth-largest overall. The Port Authority owns and manages the Central Ohio Aerospace and Technology Center in Licking County. For more information, visit hnlcpa.com.

FACT SHEET
The Wallace L. Horton Building
LEED Core and Shell Certification