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Archives for January 2015

January 8, 2015 by Kelly Leave a Comment

Sayonara, Sandtraps!

So many news stories give the impression that the “profit” portion of the triple bottom line has the power to trump the other two (people and planet), yet I have found one that bucks the trend.

Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland in the 1980’s I spent a lot of time at the mall.  Across the road was the Acacia Country Club, which not only kept us riff-raff out through its exclusivity, but also by its topography; the entryway was up a steep hill and the club house and golf course were essentially invisible from street level.  I had no idea what it looked like until this year.  The former private club is now part of the Cleveland Metroparks System, open to the public and being allowed to return to a natural state.  The sand traps and manicured greens are being taken over by plants and wildlife, and it is glorious!

What really makes this an interesting tale is that the story could have easily had a different and more conventional ending.  With the dawn of the 21st Century, Acacia’s membership went into decline, which mirrored private club membership trends nationwide[1].  By 2012 the shareholders knew the club was no longer financially sustainable, and a sale was imminent.  Acacia was well positioned to be sold for development; it was 155-acres strong and not only across the street from the mall of my youth (Beachwood Place), which had survived the Great Recession and even expanded, but by this time it was also across the road from Legacy Village, yet another retail mega-complex (which I have yet to visit, now that my shopaholic days are behind me).

The Conservation Club, a Virginia-based non-profit, offered around $14M for the property, with a plan to deed the property to the Metroparks and a stipulation that it remain public open space.  The City of Lyndhurst made an offer for around $16M, backed by an unnamed developer with a plan to convert the site into mixed-used retail and residential[2].  Counter to the stereotype of private club members, the folks at Acacia decided to go with the lower offer because they actually loved their club, and wanted to extend its legacy by making it a public space.  Remarkable!

On my recent walk (November 2014), I was most moved by the tiny oak trees sprouting out of the former greenways.  They were in full fall color, a deep and rich crimson, hinting at what the landscape will look like in the decades to come.  The sand- and water-traps were delightful, filling in with grasses and, according to my boys, fish and frogs!  Two sides of the park are bounded by busy local roads, four lanes each, yet our visit was undisturbed by noise.  The natural barrier and depth of the site kept the noises from penetrating the serenity, and I think our brains just understood we were in a peaceful place, and allowed our hearing to focus on the wind, the birds, and our feet in the grass.

The tax base of a mixed-use development is undoubtedly more desirable to city officials than a giant park, but I hope that the people of Lyndhurst see Acacia’s value in a new light.  The country club shareholders did a great thing, sacrificing a portion of their own profit for the greater good of sharing their land, and I hope that they will document and share their story with other clubs across the country.  With changes in family structure, use of leisure time, and how we socialize, I can only assume more golf courses will see their end in the near future.  Which amenity do we really want to take over these valuable spaces – more places to shop, or more places to play?

 

[1] http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/business-journal/2014/04/02/country-clubs-adapt-survive/7168837/

[2] http://www.news-herald.com/general-news/20120921/acacia-country-club-members-bittersweet-after-sale-to-conservation-fund-with-video-and-map

Filed Under: Blog, Natural Areas

January 8, 2015 by Kelly Leave a Comment

LEED Construction Submittals: Some good, mostly ugly

If there is any ‘glory’ in being a LEED AP, it’s probably on the design side.  That’s where you get to influence the architects and engineers, even the project owner, to wheedle a little more efficiency out of the energy system, or squeeze in a few more bike racks or electric vehicle charging stations.  But from my experience, the LEED AP really earns their keep during the construction phase, making sure that the materials specified are actually used, keeping harmful VOCs out of the building, maximizing recycling of construction waste, and sourcing products with local and recycled content.

Theoretically, no one knows the contract documents better than the contractor, and they know what submittals they need to provide to show compliance.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean they know where to find the information the LEED AP needs, and that can lead to a lot of ‘revise and resubmit’ or even ‘rejected’ submittals that can negatively impact the already tight schedule.  There are two simple steps that contractors can take that will help reduce problems with LEED submittal reviews:

  1. Highlight the LEED-required Data. Most spec sections require product data sheets, MSDS sheets, and LEED data, often in different sub-sections.  Use FoxIt or any other free PDF-editing software to highlight the text or to place a red circle around the data.  Do not scan a hand-highlighted document because it becomes illegible by the time it reaches the LEED AP.
    • For paints, caulks, sealants, or adhesives, submit the MSDS and highlight or circle the VOC g/L of each specific product being used on the project. I have rarely seen a product data sheet that contains the LEED-required data.  DO NOT submit the entire spec section and/or product data sheets in addition to the MSDS.  This is very irritating.
    • For construction waste management, submit a monthly report from your hauler that summarizes the total tons of waste collected by type (i.e., wood, metal, paper, landfill, etc.). DO NOT submit individual load tickets!
    • For recycled and regional content, you may have to do some hunting. Go to the manufacturer’s website and search for data specific to your product; DO NOT submit general information or slick marketing brochures, these will be rejected.
    • Specific to regional content, you need to know where this product is made and from where the raw materials are extracted; in LEED parlance this is ‘extraction’ or ‘harvest.’ You may need to e-mail the manufacturer for this information, but if you don’t try, the project cannot get any credit just for a product being manufactured locally.
    • Remember, it is the contractor’s responsibility to ensure that 10% or 20% of the total value of the materials on your contract (depending on the specs) are recycled and regional content. I recently sent back an asphalt mix as ‘revise and resubmit’ for not having any recycled content; it was not required by the spec but it was allowed, and as the LEED AP I know that if we don’t have recycled content in the concrete and asphalt wherever possible we won’t be able to reach our LEED goals.  Ideally, you reviewed these product options during the bid process, but if you didn’t translate that to your subs then your efforts might be lost, and that can lead to delays or rejections of pay apps.

 

  1. Put “LEED” in the submittal document title. It is common for a submittal to go through multiple people before it gets to the LEED AP; first to the prime contractor, then the construction manager, then the AOR, and finally the LEED AP. By putting LEED right on the submittal cover the AOR knows it should go to the LEED AP.  If you have followed tip #1, you are putting LEED on the cover because you know the submittal contains the exact information required by LEED in the specification.  If you are submitting a product data sheet for compliance with a sub-section in the same spec, do not label it for LEED.

Attached to this post are a couple of examples of ‘good’ LEED submittals showing the required data clearly highlighted.  Remember, making the review easier for the LEED AP saves you time and money down the road; quick approvals keeps schedules on time!

03_Adhesive sample_good

05_Carpet sample_good

 

Filed Under: Blog, LEED

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