Akron has just completed a brand new transit center. It includes rest rooms, a heated waiting area, and free wireless internet. But the most impressive part of building can't be EASILY seen - 432 solar panels on the roof and 45 geothermal wells underfoot that eliminate the need for natural gas heating and provide a third of the buildings electricity needs. Kirt Conrad is the director of planning and development for Akron's METRO RTA.
CONRAD: We really felt that transit has an obligation to try and be a leader in both alternative transportation and alternative energies and so we tried to incorporate that as much as we could into this facility.
The solar array produces 134 kilowatts of power - more than any other array in the state of Ohio - and was installed by Third Sun Solar, a local company based in Athens. The building also has a system to collect rainwater for use in the restrooms and landscaping, and roughly 75 percent of the construction waste was recycled. The new center is located on South Broadway and replaces an outdoor site on South Main Street.
Gretchen Cuda, 90.3