New city maintenance building reduces energy costs

Consolidated Maintenance Facility

The City of Kitchener has consolidated its once-scattered maintenance operations into a former Michelin tire plant.

The facility, which now features a solar roof, geo-thermal heat recovery and low-flow fixtures, was redesigned to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification. Road and park maintenance, water and sewer work, fleet repair and snow clearing operations — formerly spread over five sites — now operate from a single 45-acre location. The city's corporate call centre, stockrooms, salt and bulk material storage and greenhouses — and a total of 450 employees — have also moved to the site.

Energy and other efficiencies at the $66-million facility will save the city $350,000 a year.

Results

Challenges

• Migrating city maintenance operations and 450 employees to a single site without disrupting essential services.
• Meeting daunting approval and documentation requirements of various funding agencies.
• Gaining dedicated resources and support from city managers and council.

Lessons learned

• Dedicate a team to the project rather than adding it to the staff workload.
• Make a strong business case to ensure council and public support and to access government funding.
• Review service and space needs thoroughly to avoid expensive last-minute redesigns.

Partners and Collaborators

• City of Kitchener
• FCM's Green Municipal Fund
• IBI Group
• Stantec Consulting

Project Contact

Cynthia Fletcher
Director, Facilities Management
City of Kitchener, ON
T. 519-741-2600 ext. 4424