[KHTS] – State Sen. Fran Pavley presented Santa Clarita city Mayor Marsha McLean with the Sustainability Award on Wednesday morning at the Transit Maintenance Facility.

The Sustainability Award was given to McLean in recognition of the city’s extensive green efforts including sustainable building practices used in the development of facilities such as the Transit Maintenance Facility and the Old Town Newhall Library.

Transit Maintenance Facility Manager Adrian Aguilar also gave Pavley and McLean a tour of the Facility following the award presentation and highlighted its many green features.

Some of the design features that were incorporated in the Transit Maintenance Facility include: straw bale insulated exterior walls, under-floor heating and cooling systems, recycled building materials, water efficient landscaping, day lighting features, facility shading devices, high-efficiency lighting fixtures with motion sensors and daylight dimming controls, and compressed natural gas fuel technology.

“It reduces our dependence on foreign oil. A lot of the natural gas that we use comes from the states or North America. There is also opportunities to use renewable natural gas,” said Aguilar.

The energy-efficient building also includes a 22,000 sq. ft. administration building, 25,000 sq. ft bus maintenance building, automated bus wash, diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) stations, and an on-street CNG fueling station for use by the general public. The facility is also designed to accommodate more than 150 buses and nearly 160 staff with room for future expansion, according to the Transit Maintenance Facility website.

“Upgrades like this Transportation Facility means a whole lot. Anyone who lives here knows the I-5 and 14 freeways can be challenge,” said Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, who represents the western Santa Clarita Valley. “Natural gas buses and getting people out of their cars is a good thing for the environment, not only for the localized air pollutants that cause smog but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.”

The city of Santa Clarita received its first “Gold” rating from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in 2006 for its efforts to operate in an environmentally conscious manner.

Photo: City of Santa Clarita