Your gas tax at work: a "green" palace for bureaucrats
The renovation of the Oregon Transportation Department Building by -- surprise! -- Hoffman Construction is slated to cost more than $69 million. "We're going for LEED platinum," says the contractor guy. Oh yeah, buddy -- I have no doubt that you are.
| Posted at 9:45 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (12)
I think that means we pay them in bars of platinum.
Posted by Snards | January 28, 2011 10:18 AM
Is this the Portland building, or the Salem headquarters?
A lot of the ODOT buildings in Salem, including their Capitol Mall headquarters, are pretty old and in dire need of upgrading.
I don't think LEED Platinum is really needed, though. The focus should be on making sure the structure is safe and usable for the purpose; energy efficiency should absolutely be considered, but with a cost-benefit analysis. Just sticking a "LEED" sign in the building lobby doesn't make it cost-effective.
Posted by Erik H. | January 28, 2011 10:38 AM
Especially when there are increasing numbers of parties asking just exactly who certifies the certifiers and what are the real benefits of being LEED certified (other than making a public project very expensive and therefore very lucrative)?
Posted by Mr. Grumpy | January 28, 2011 1:39 PM
$492 a square foot! What are they putting in this? Is the Guv's girlfriend involved in this?
Posted by pdxjim | January 28, 2011 2:59 PM
"We're going for LEED platinum"
As in we are doing the walls and floors in platinum?
Always easy to spend other people's money.
Posted by Steve | January 28, 2011 5:34 PM
Leed Platinum or "Lead to Platinum" for some while the rest pay.
Posted by clinamen | January 28, 2011 7:48 PM
Building palaces for state government are certainly nothing new.
The standard was set two decades ago with the State Archive Building in Salem. ODOT and Hoffman are just following precedent.
We should all remain calm. Nothing to see here.
Posted by The Other Jimbo | January 28, 2011 10:04 PM
Maybe this project helps create the "green jobs" that Obama blathers on about.
Posted by adp | January 29, 2011 9:29 AM
Your gas tax at work: a "green" palace for bureaucrats
Palaces for bureaucrats, more foreclosures and tent cities for others. No money for schools.
Posted by watching for our children | January 29, 2011 10:42 AM
We need to follow the lead of the Egyptians and throw the bums out by their arses!
Posted by AL M | January 29, 2011 9:21 PM
There you go again, Al, advocating violence when everyone knows all can be solved simply by writing a bigger check.
Posted by The Other Jimbo | January 30, 2011 9:59 AM
Where are the checks big enough to match those given by multinational corporations?
Posted by watching for our children | January 30, 2011 11:38 AM