Donohoe Center building getting a green roof

And now an adjacent building, constructed in 1980, is being renovated with the latest conservation technology, including what may be the county's first "green roof."

Although the buildings were constructed 100 years apart, they are linked with the focus of making them as energy efficient as possible while serving local conservation and agricultural interests.

"It's neat to see the Greensburg area getting greener," said Greg Phillips, district manager for the Westmoreland Conservation District, which is in charge of the development. "Green" means being environmentally friendly and energy efficient while conserving natural resources.

"If you look in and around Greensburg, you'll see that PNC Bank by Wal-Mart is a green building, and Seton Hill University's new building downtown is going to be green, and the new courthouse annex will add four stories with green features," Phillips said. "I think that Pennsylvania is second to California in green building technology."

The project at Donohoe Center is called the Green Forge Building; green because of the energy concept and the roof that has yet to be constructed, and forge because of the partnerships involved in the renovation and future occupation.

The 23,000-square-foot building, previously used for business and warehousing, recently was purchased by the Westmoreland County Industrial Corp. The Conservation District is leasing it and Green Forge Inc. has a special board overseeing its development and future.

The building is now part of the Donohoe Center campus that includes demonstration landscaping, a windmill, a switchgrass planting area and a building that, along with the barn, houses organizations that focus on rural and conservation issues. That includes the Penn State Cooperative Extension Office, Farmland Preservation, the Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The complex is surrounded by the Ann Rudd Saxman Nature Park, which has four miles of trails winding through 60 acres.

"The USDA needed more office space, but rather than build a separate building or an addition, we noticed that the building next door was for sale," Phillips said. "That's when things started to click."

The conservation group worked with Larry Larese, the county director of planning, and the building was purchased with assistance from a grant from the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation.

"This is a $2 million project, and $1.2 million is in construction," Phillips said. "The rest is in the initial purchase of the building, and a good chunk of that came from the foundation."

So far, Green Forge Inc. has raised about $600,000 and has taken out a loan. It has also received a $200,000 Energy Harvest grant from the state.

The building was in poor condition. Numerous heating and cooling systems had been installed to make up for leaky doors and windows, which have been replaced with energy-efficient styles.

Part of the roof is being raised for a lobby, which will be lighted by transparent blocks that will be insulated by the air inside them. The concrete-block exterior will be covered with corrugated metal siding.

The building's electric heating and cooling systems will be augmented by geothermal wells, a series of 30 holes drilled 200 feet deep and filled with water.

"There is a constant underground temperature of about 52 degrees," Phillips said. "So on days when it's 90, that 52 degrees will cool it. On days when it's cold, the 52-degree water will provide heat."

The building's most unusual feature will be the roof, which will be literally green with sedum, a succulent plant that withstands heat, drought and winter.

"It doesn't need water," Phillips said. "It just sort of hangs out and cools the building in the summer time. It also adds life to the building and protects the rubber membranes underneath from breaking down. There will be some solar panels up there too."

Board member Naomi Costello, who operates a family farm in Mt. Pleasant Township with her sons, Joe and Mike, called the project another positive step in "leaving a healthy legacy for our children and grandchildren."

"The Conservation District and all the other organizations that work with the farmers are very much intertwined in trying to promote such programs that further our interests," she said. "We're trying to bring tenants in who will be in line with those interests."

The USDA already has planned its expansion, and PA CleanWays has made a commitment to rent offices. There are several other tentative tenants and a number of ideas for using the space.

"We've talked about doing a co-op kitchen where people who raise produce can use the kitchen for value-added products, such as making jams or jellies," Costello said.

The building is expected to be ready for occupancy in the fall.

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