City leaders receiving the award

DEARBORN — The John D. Dingell Transit Center has earned a prestigious Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, officially acknowledging its environmentally-friendly building components.

A presentation took place on Tuesday, Jan. 5.

The Silver Certification was awarded under LEED guidelines. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). LEED certification is the recognized standard for measuring a building’s sustainability.

The city of Dearborn owns the transit center, and Amtrak operates the station. It was built entirely with $28.2 million in federal funds and opened in December 2014.

Among the elements qualifying the 16,000-square-foot building for Silver Certification is a metal roof with solar collectors, energy-efficient lighting, geo-thermal heating and cooling, and storm water management features. It sits on seven acres at 21201 Michigan Ave. The parking lot includes charging stations for electrical vehicles.

“We’re proud that we designed the Dingell Transit Center to meet demanding LEED standards, in keeping with our other ‘green’ initiatives. It is especially appropriate for the train station, since rail travel, like all mass transit, promotes more efficient use of energy and resources,” said Mayor Jack O’Reilly.

In November, the City learned the transit center was approved for Silver LEED certification. It was one of several honors bestowed on the building in 2015. It earned an Honorable Mention from UM/ULI Real Estate Forum under its 2015 Development/Redevelopment Award. Also, the Construction Association of Michigan named the transit center as one of the state’s 12 most important projects of the year.