|
Patrick Administration Launches $22 Million Expansion, LEED Renovation of
MassDEP's Wall Experiment Station Laboratory
State, City Officials Break Ground on State-of-the-Art, 'Green' Building Project in Lawrence The Patrick Administration broke ground today on the first phase of a planned two-year, $22 million expansion and renovation of the Senator William X. Wall Experiment Station in Lawrence, which will transform the state environmental laboratory operated by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection into a state-of-the-art, "green" building.
The project is designed as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building. The green upgrades will include use of photo-voltaic cells as a solar energy source, a super-efficient HVAC system to save up to 40 percent on heating and cooling costs, rain gardens for better management of storm water, rain water recycling for non-potable uses and irrigation, large windows that will allow the sun to provide light and heat, installation of a "green roof," and a set-aside for plug-in hybrid vehicle parking spaces.
"The Wall Experiment Station has a long history of excellence and innovation as an environmental laboratory, and in its new incarnation it will be a model building," said Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles. "I applaud MassDEP for taking up Governor Patrick's call to lead by example with this state-of-the-art facility, which will demonstrate what can be done with energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water management."
MassDEP's Wall Experiment Station is Massachusetts' principal drinking water laboratory, and the facility annually performs 10,000 lab analyses of contaminants in water, wastewater, air, soil, hazardous wastes, fish, and other samples. The facility also certifies more than 150 commercial and municipal labs for compliance analysis of both potable and non-potable water.
"Protection of public health and the environment has been the top priority of the Wall Experiment Station over its long and storied history," said MassDEP Commissioner Laurie Burt. "This project will not only continue the long legacy of important environmental work, but will make this lab state-of-the-art. It will stand as a working symbol of the importance of environmental protection in the Commonwealth."
The project will expand the historic 22,000-square-foot facility, located at 37 Shattuck Street, by an additional 13,000 square feet. MassDEP, the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM), and the architectural design team of Perkins+Will planned the project. O'Connor Constructors is the project's construction manager.
"Our agency is thrilled to help bring this important environmental facility into the 21st century," said DCAM Commissioner David B. Perini. "It will not only continue to provide critical environmental services, but it will also serve as a model for efficient, sustainable design, which are goals that we are incorporating into all of our major capital projects going forward."
"I'm thrilled that this Lawrence facility has been certified as a LEED green building," said Lawrence Mayor Michael J. Sullivan. "So much environmental work is done at the William X. Wall Experimental Station, and it is only fitting that this building has become so energy efficient."
The first phase of the project involves a $16 million facility expansion, utilizing funds approved by the Massachusetts Legislature. Funding is also being provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the State Drinking Water Revolving Fund. The second phase - to be funded through the Environmental Bond Bill - will involve a $6 million renovation of the existing lab.
"We applaud MassDEP's continuing commitment to the scientific infrastructure that makes possible the studies, monitoring, and investigations so vital to addressing the emerging environmental challenges of the 21st century," said Robert W. Varney, Administrator of EPA's New England Regional Office. "This state-of-the-art laboratory will allow scientists to obtain reliable data that addresses the full range of emerging contaminants at very low concentrations, thereby providing key risk information. Investment in this laboratory clearly shows that Massachusetts recognizes the importance of sound science underlying our environmental policies and decisions."
"I am pleased to lend my support to this important project for the environment, for MassDEP, and for the City of Lawrence," said Massachusetts Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill.
In 1993, following his sudden death, the laboratory was named in honor of former Senator William X. Wall, who represented Lawrence in the Legislature for 40 years. He had filed the bill that resulted in the current Station being built and occupied in 1954. Members of Sen. Wall's family attended today's groundbreaking ceremony.
The Lawrence Experiment Station was founded in 1887 as one of the first laboratories in the world dedicated to environmental research. The work conducted there laid the foundation for modern methods of wastewater treatment and drinking water purification used throughout the world. In 1975, the American Society of Civil Engineers designated the facility as a "National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark."
MassDEP is responsible for ensuring clean air and water, safe management and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes, timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills, and the preservation of wetlands and coastal resources.
### |
communicate with dep
