Energy Efficient, Solar EMS Station Opened By Athens County
Contact: Chris Chmiel - Athens County Commissioner, SOPEC Chair | Email: cchmiel@athensoh.org | Website: www.athensoh.org
APRIL 13, 2021 - Athens County, Ohio - The Athens County Board of County Commissioners will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Athens County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Station #51, located at 21 Kenny Drive in Athens, on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 1 pm. EMS staff will offer guided tours of the facility after the ceremony. Covid protocols of masks and social distancing will be followed.
The new station is a considerable upgrade for the EMS first responders, and includes its administrative offices. “Our Athens EMS station was built in 1977 and was designed to house two employees. It was remodeled and expanded in the early 1990s to accommodate a second crew, but the facility was still too small, especially as our response demands have increased in Athens County. The building had a number of significant structural issues and had outlived its useful life as an EMS station,” Chief Rick Callebs stated.
“Our headquarters operation was in two small rooms we leased from the Athens County Water and Sewer District. Our new facility gives the EMS crews and administrative staff the working room they need. We were able to add a state-of-the-art training room to the new complex. This will allow our department to conduct on-site training classes and offer continuing education to our employees and other first responders. All our equipment is right here. This is something we’ve never been able to do without leasing or borrowing space from other entities,” Callebs noted.
The property where the building is located was donated by TS Tech to the City of Athens for public safety purposes. The new station was designed with a large training room that will be used for public safety training.
A $2 million dollar building bond was obtained through the Athens County Treasurer’s office to help finance the project. This method of self-financing helps return earned interest back into the Athens County general fund. “The Treasurer’s office was thrilled to be involved in such a cutting-edge building for a critical service like EMS. This type of financing allows us to do big projects while keeping our dollars here in the county,” added Ric Wasserman.
BDT Architects and Designers from Athens oversaw this project, with special assistance from Jason Morosko, an Athens-based certified passive house consultant and mechanical engineer. Other local entities instrumental in the building include the general contractor, Hoon Incorporated, as well as Airclaws, Certified Mechanical and KAL Electric.
The 8,726 square foot building is designed to be virtually a net zero energy building, meaning the building will produce as much energy as it uses. To achieve this standard of design, the building envelope was super insulated (R51.23 roof, R37.85 walls, R26.03 under slab), incorporated passive solar design and sealed to create airtightness. The additional costs associated with this total $101,908. Because of the super insulated design specifications, the building required smaller HVAC units, reducing costs by $105,874. In essence, super insulating the building envelope more than paid for itself immediately.
The new station has a 34.2 kW photovoltaic solar system. This is the first active solar for the government of Athens County. The cost was $74,688 and was installed by Athens-based Third Sun Solar. A community grant from the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council (SOPEC) of $20,000 contributed to funding this aspect of the project.
“I believe that this new facility has improved the lives of our first responders and fueled the local economy, while also providing good stewardship of taxpayer dollars and our impact on the environment,” said Chris Chmiel, Athens County Commissioner. “I hope this building will inspire more new residential and commercial structures to build to this standard. It really does pay for itself.”
Athens County Commissioner Charlie Adkins added that “this is a blueprint of how Athens County buildings should be constructed, going forward. I’m excited to get started on the new 9-1-1 communication center in the near future.”
“This station is the largest capital investment we have made in our EMS facilities since taking control of the service. This station represents something everyone in the county should be proud of having. We will continue to improve our services for the people of Athens County,” said Athens County Commissioner Lenny Eliason.