Rainy weather couldn’t stop Mill Creek Dam and Bennington Lake’s grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony April 19 to celebrate the completion of their new office building, the Walla Walla District’s first civil works construction project built to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) sustainable-building standards.
The new visitor area just inside the front entrance was filled with visitors and District staff as Deputy District Commander Maj. Rod Baker and Operations Project Manager Rick Beauchesne officiated a short ceremony to mark the occasion.
Mill Creek staff and project delivery team members provided tours of the new facility to highlight the new office’s energy- and water-efficient systems that will reduce operations and maintenance costs while will better accommodating staff and visitors.
"This project’s energy-saving features are designed to achieve a 30-percent reduction in energy consumption and significantly reduce office operating costs over the lifetime of the building," said Simeon Francis, the new office building construction project manager.
Construction began in February 2012, and Mill Creek staff moved into the new building early March. The new 3,756-square-foot office replaces a 900-square-foot configuration of building additions that did not meet staff or visitor needs or meet modern building construction standards.