City of Atlanta Announces Grand Opening of its First EarthCraft Light Commercial Recreational Facility
Atlanta, GA – August 18, 2010 – Southface joined the City of Atlanta today at its ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking the opening of the new EarthCraft Light Commercial tennis center at Chastain Park. George Dusenbury, Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Commissioner, joined City Council Member Yolanda Adrean and community leaders in officially opening the building with the installation of an EarthCraft Light Commercial plaque, a ribbon cutting and a “first serve” on the newly refurbished tennis courts.
"We are excited about the opening of the Chastain Park Tennis Center, the first ’green’ recreational facility in the city of Atlanta,“ said Dusenbury. “This newly constructed facility further demonstrates our commitment to Atlanta’s sustainability initiatives and energy conservation.” The Chastain Tennis Center is the first EarthCraft Light Commercial certified project to be completed by the City of Atlanta.
The facility also served as a pilot building for the EarthCraft Light Commercial program, a regionally based, thirdâparty verification program developed by Southface to foster the greening of small scale, or “light,” commercial buildings. EarthCraft Light Commercial offers architects and builders an intensive level of support during the design and construction process, focusing on the energy- and water-efficient design strategies specific to both smaller-scale commercial construction, and to the climate challenges of the Southeast.
“We are especially proud of the Chastain Tennis Center project.The new center has achieved excellent results in its air leakage performance tests, and it features highly efficient lighting and HVAC equipment, low-flow water fixtures, and low-VOC paints and finishes,” said Denise Grimm, program manager for Southface’s EarthCraft Light Commercial program. “During the construction process, the project team was also able to divert more than 75 percent of its waste materials from the landfill, including concrete, wood and metal. We congratulate the Chastain Tennis Center on a job well done!”
The original tennis center building, constructed in the 1940s, burned and was rebuilt in 1979. The present facility includes an equipment sales area, locker rooms, restrooms, offices and a small concession area. The Chastain facility is the smallest of the City’s tennis centers, but is the second busiest to another larger center, averaging approximately 1,000 participants per month.
About the City of Atlanta’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs
The City of Atlanta’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (DPRCA) enhances the lives of residents and visitors by offering programs, services and activities that encourage participation in safe, affordable and enriching recreational activities, leisure services and cultural experiences. The City’s park system consists of approximately 3,754 acres (four percent of the City’s land) inside the city limits, and 209 acres at Lake Allatoona. The parks vary from nature preserves to active city-wide greenspaces. The recreational and cultural facilities vary from small recreation centers to large cultural complexes, such as the Atlanta Civic Center and the Chastain Park Amphitheater.
About the EarthCraft Green Building Program and EarthCraft Light Commercial
EarthCraft is a voluntary green building certification program originally createdin 1999 by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Southface. By addressing the climate conditions unique to the Southeast, it serves as a blueprint for energy, water and resource-efficient single-family homes, multifamily structures, renovation projects, community developments and light-commercial buildings.
EarthCraft Light Commercial is a certification within the EarthCraft program that is available to both newly constructed and significantly renovated small-scale commercial buildings of 15,000 square feet or less. The EarthCraft Light Commercial program provides builders with an intensive level of technical support during the design and construction process, paying specific attention to energy- and water-efficient design strategies. EarthCraft Light Commercial, now completing its pilot phase, will officially launch in the fall of 2010
