Whitefish City Hall to Go Green

Council votes to build downtown building according to LEED construction standards

By Tristan Scott // Dec 7, 2014 // News & Features

A rendering of the future Whitefish City Hall building. Courtesy of Mosaic Architecture

The Whitefish City Council voted Dec. 1 to construct its new city hall according to green building standards administered by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED. It would be the only building in Whitefish with a LEED certification, which councilors agreed is an attractive quality.

The council has not yet specified at what rating level it intends to build the downtown centerpiece, but in a 4-3 vote determined it would pursue LEED certification at some level.

The council was divided on whether to seek LEED certification due to the associated costs, and Mayor John Muhlfeld cast the deciding vote in favor of LEED.

LEED is a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED is intended to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.

All of the councilors were in favor of constructing the city hall in a green and efficient manner, but some balked at the notion of paying for administrative oversight.

I dont like paying for paperwork. And Im a lawyer, said councilor John Anderson.

There would be an additional cost of $1,200 to register and an additional fee of $50,000 to $75,000 to file all the paperwork, as well as follow up work that Mosaic Architect would have to do.

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Whitefish City Hall to Go Green