Barn Renovators Win Green Honor

The Record

April 2014

Barn renovators win green honor

New lift for Midland Park building

By Evonne Coutros (Staff Writer)

Midland Park – The design and construction team behind the rehabilitation of an old barn that will become the new ambulance corps building and a community center will be honored next month for meeting environmentally friendly standards.

The team behind the Bolger Community Center has earned the 2013 Green Project award in the not-for-profit category from the New Jersey Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council for its sustainable construction.

The honor will be shared by The Bolger Foundation, architects with the Peter Raymond Wells firm in Park Ridge, Consulting engineers and the contractors, architect Peter Raymond Wells said.  

The two-story, 6,000 square foot building at 471 Godwin Ave. will be highlighted during the 11th annual USGBC NJ gala on October 9th at the New Jersey Preforming Arts Center in Newark.

In its nominating application, the Wells architectural team called the project to rehabilitate the century-old edifice a “wonderful combination of philanthropy, preservation, and green building design” The barn was determined to have been renovated at least once in its long history.

The 1.5-acre property will serve as the new home of the Midland Park Ambulance Crops and also house, a 1,500-square-foot community meeting space on the second floor. The Bolger Foundation, a philanthropic organization headed by David Bolger and his son J.T. Bolger, donated $1.8 million for the project.

“We see the Bolger Community Center as the model of building design for the future, when all buildings will be energy efficient and have a healthy indoor environment,” Wells said.

The building design has met the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design standards required for the team to earn the honor. The LEED program provides third-party verification of green building design.

The building will be donated to the borough upon its completion. “We are proud of this award,” J.T. Bolger said. It is our hope that this project will help inspire others to rethink their projects and work toward more ‘green’ buildings.”

The design will keep the cathedral ceiling in the upper loft area, and the existing wooden walls and roof timbers will be visible. An energy-efficient geothermal system will heat and cool the barn – meeting LEED requirements. The team earned LEED points for the use of recycled materials and certified wood.

The exterior walls and roof have foam and fiber insulation, and LED light fixtures are being used where possible. The design promises to minimize energy use and operating costs. The design uses carpeting and paint low in volatile organic compounds.

The building offers a more central location than an older ambulance corps facility few blocks away.  It offers much-needed training space for corps members.

There will be a dispatch office on the first floor, and the second-floor meeting-training room will have a capacity of 80 people. It will be equipped with a kitchen and have disabled-accessible restrooms.

Old barn to become new ambulance base

A better Midland Park location and more space

By Evonne Coutros (Staff Writer)

Midland Park – A new two-story ambulance corps headquarters expected to open on Godwin Avenue in November will offer a more central location for its members, according to a trustee of the foundation that has donated $1.7 million for the project.

            The building – a refurbished century old barn – will replace the smaller ambulance corps building on Pierce Avenue.

            “It will be out of a residential neighborhood and adds a bigger venue for functions” J.T. Bolger said of the new building. “And it’s another place for the community to gather.”

            Bolger is a trustee of The Bolger Foundation, which donated the land and financing for the 5,888 square-foot building. The conversion, according to Project Architect Peter Raymond Wells, keeps the same footprint as the barn, which has been renovated at least once in its 100-year past.

            The headquarters will house three bays for ambulance corps rigs, a trailer and equipment. There will be a dispatch office on the first floor and a second-floor meeting/training room for up to 80 people. It will be equipped with a commercial kitchen and have accessible bathrooms.

            The exterior will be upgraded with fiber cement siding and the interior will retain some of the old barn beams and vintage wood which will be stripped and used for trim.

            The 1.5 acre property at 471 Godwin Ave. was purchased for $850,000 from Marlow Park LLC by The Bolger Foundation said Bolger, whose Father, David Bolger, is the Charitable entity’s president.

            David Bolger is a philanthropist whose charitable gifts span the country. Bolger once lived on Brautigan Lane in the borough before moving to neighboring Ridgewood.

“David Bolger approached us more than a year ago. HE came us with the idea to preserve the barn,” said Alan Kooreman, the liaison between the Bolger Foundation and the ambulance corps. “We’re getting particularly larger garage space for our ambulances, plus showers for decontamination, and more space for all our equipment,” Kooreman said.

The ambulance corps’ presentation building will be sold and the money put into a fund for maintenance on the new building, he said.

The building design meets Leadership in Energy & Environmental  Design Standards, Wells said. The LEED program provided third-party verification of green building design. It will have environmentally friendly finishes and water saving-landscaping.

The ambulance corps respond to more than 500 calls annually.