Going green

Glacier transit center a leader in national-park environmentally friendly construction

By AMY MAY

The Daily Inter Lake

National parks exist to preserve and protect the natural beauty of our environment. So why is it that public buildings in national parks don't adhere to those same ideals?

In Glacier National Park, now they do.

The Apgar Transit Center, the western hub of the park's new transportation system, could soon be the only public facility in the National Park Service to be certified "green."

The center, which opened July 1, was constructed to meet environmental sustainability standards set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Transit Center Manager Gary Danczyk said that if all goes as expected, the council should give the center a gold rating in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, second only to a platinum rating.

Each aspect of the $4.3 million center was methodically planned to mitigate the building's impact on Glacier's one-of-a-kind scenery and environment, Danczyk said.

In order to be certified, the building had to meet the following criteria: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, material selection and indoor environmental quality.

From its wooden beams to the lights in the public bathrooms to the trees in the parking lot, the center was constructed to be the most environmentally friendly building in Northwestern Montana.

Around the building there are small plaques, pointing out its environmentally friendly attributes.

For example, if not for the small sign, one would never notice that there are no lights in the parking lot or on the sidewalks. The plaque points out that directional and low wattage lighting is used at the center to lessen light pollution.

And on the inside of each bathroom stall door there is an explanation of the two-way toilet handle - up for a "solid" flush and down for a "liquid" flush. The goal is to reduce water consumption.

Pat Hintz of Missoula said she wanted a similar toilet in her own home after using the center's bathroom.

"I think it's a great idea," she said.

Even the wood used around the building is all certified Montana wood, meaning that it is purchased from a logger who uses sustainable practices.

With the Montana Conservation Corps helping out, the plants and trees around the building were removed from the site prior to construction and returned upon completion.

"We made those kind of choices wherever we could," Danczyk said. "Obviously we had to have a bathroom, but we were able to make them low-flow."

After finishing the project, Danczyk said he was most proud of the partnerships formed at the federal, state and local levels to create a environmentally sustainable building.

"This project is at the leading edge." Danczyk said. "We want to encourage folks to follow our lead."

Danczyk said that he hopes that within the next year the center will provide a brochure that explains how the building was constructed and how to follow in its footsteps.

The Apgar Transit Center and Glacier's new transit system are the main components of the park's plan to offset the impacts of the Going-to-the-Sun Road reconstruction, which is expected to last eight years.

Reporter Amy May can be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at amay@dailyinterlake.com