Fayette County Community Action Agency has opened the first green building in Uniontown.

The Fayette County Community Action Agency celebrated a ribbon cutting for its Green Building, located at 108 North Beeson Avenue on May 11, 2007.  The site was previously utilized as a warehouse and office building for a local construction company.  While the project was initially planned as a rehabilitation effort, the structural inadequacy of the foundation required that the old building be demolished except for the floor slab.  Over 90% of the material of the existing building was diverted from the land fill and recycled.

The new construction was designed to achieve LEED Silver status because of the environmentally responsible approach utilized in design and construction.  Final documentation of the project is in the process of being completed for submission to the U.S. Green Building Council.  This project links a geothermal heat pump to an energy recovery system.  Thirty geothermal wells were drilled in the parking area of the facility.  The closed loop ground source heat pump system is capable of producing 38.5 tons of heating/cooling for the building.  The Desert Air Energy Recovery Unit provides dehumidification and heat recovery.  The unit contains an enthalpy wheel where sensible and latent energy is transferred to the wheel which rotates to the exhaust air stream.  In the summer, both heat and moisture are transferred from the outdoor air to the exhaust air; in the winter the process is reversed.

Only 100% fresh air is used in the building.  Sensors located throughout the building monitor the level of CO2 and adjust air into the building as needed.  Wall vents provide occupants with a steady stream of fresh air.

The building promotes water conservation through the utilization of water efficient landscaping, two flush toilets, waterless urinals, and sensor controlled faucets.  The sustainable site has public transportation access, bicycle racks and changing rooms, alternative fuel parking spaces with charging stations, parking space for car pools, and a reduced heat island roof which uses reflective roofing products.  To conserve energy, the building uses solar energy for power and water heating.  The building also has an energy recovery unit and a geothermal heat pump.  The indoor environmental quality has been enhanced by the   utilization of low VOC emitting materials (adhesives, sealants,   paints, and carpet), indoor chemical and pollutant controls measures, and the prohibition of tobacco smoking during the building’s pre and post construction phases.

This building was funded  through the assistance of: The West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund, Centra Bank, Rural LISC, Commonwealth of Pa., Honorable Edward Rendell Governor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Pa. Department of Community and Economic Development, City of Uniontown (LERTA), Fayette County (LERTA), Uniontown School District (LERTA), Federal Enterprise Community, Richard King Mellon Foundation and the McCune Foundation. 

The construction of the Green Building was the vision of Fayette County Community Action Agency Executive Director James Stark. The 18,000 square foot building currently houses the Fayette County Community Action Agency administrative offices and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.  The site is part of the Community Action Campus of Service.