Work force center will be state's first 'green' building

State officials announced Friday the 101,500-square-foot center on the Normal campus will be the first state-funded building in Illinois certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The college plans to have a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 8 at the site at 1500 W. Raab Road, Normal.

"We're thinking this is the way of the future of building design," Heartland President Jon Astroth said Friday afternoon.

Adjusting the plan to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification will $1.1 million to the building cost, but Astroth said energy savings will recover extra costs in the long run.

Such certification is based on five major environmental categories: site suitability; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; and indoor environmental quality.

"Although there are a few LEED-certified buildings in Illinois, this will be the first one funded by state dollars and built by CDB (the state's Capital Development Board)," according to a statement from Anthony Rossi, the board's executive director.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich approved last year plans to move forward with the center's construction.

The total cost for the project is estimated to be about $19 million. Heartland must cover 25 percent of the costs, while the state picks up the rest, including the LEED certification costs.

Heartland will use the center, which is expected to be finished in April 2006, for its adult education and industrial and informational technology degree programs. The center also will house the employee training Heartland does for area businesses.

Those programs now are in leased space at the college's former main campus in Towanda Plaza in Bloomington.