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City Officials “Green” Glendale, AZ |
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When faced with the challenge of constructing a new 642-space Park and Ride that spans 3.4 acres Glendale city officials were adamant about building it using the most cost-efficient and environmentally friendly methods and materials. In keeping with the spirit of providing a mass transit parking lot that would help to decrease the number of single passenger vehicles on the roadways, Mayor Elaine M. Scruggs, City Manager Horatio Skeete and Transit Administrator Cathy Colbath all agreed that selecting the most sustainable materials was paramount in planning the construction of the lot. “Environmental issues are a major concern here in Arizona, with the lack of water resources and arid climate. It remains tough to ensure that Arizona will be able to give back to its community what they desire; a wonderful place to live. One way was the City of Glendale’s idea of a mass transit facility,” said Mayor Scruggs. Pervious concrete was chosen as the primary material providing groundwater recharge capability. Pervious concrete also allows water to drain through it, filtering out contaminants such as oil, grease and harsh chemicals that could enter back into the water supply. Unlike asphalt, which is made with petroleum and has become increasingly expensive due to rising fuel costs, pervious concrete lasts much longer and needs little to no resurfacing making it a cost effective material.
“The use of pervious concrete helps to ease the rising concerns about UHI effects, helps recharge ground water aquifers and reduces pollution by filtering the ‘first flush’ of rain water through the voids in its makeup,” said Horatio Skeete, Glendale City Manager. “By employing the use of this material, the Glendale Park & Ride is the largest use of pervious concrete in the Southwest today.” The Park & Ride has received much attention and interest. Media representatives did numerous broadcasts to inform people of the use of the concrete and showed on-air demonstrations of the benefits of pervious concrete. Other cities and agencies have contacted Glendale to get information on the research that went into using the product for applications in their projects. Elaine Scruggs, Horatio Skeete and Cathy Colbath are all recipients of the 2008 PCA Sustainable Leadership Award. The award honors public officials who utilize cement or cement-based products to achieve sustainable benefits in their communities.
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The idea of becoming a “Green Community” is one of the Greater Phoenix West Valley’s primary concerns these days. With UHI effects (Urban Heat Island) and the lack of water in Arizona, it became apparent to the City of Glendale, and many other municipalities, to be steadfast and lead the State of Arizona to change its building policies to include as much “green” future development as possible. These initiatives would help to ease the rising concerns about UHI effects, help recharge ground water aquifers, reduce pollution and in turn give back to the Greater Phoenix West Valley community a more livable environment. 
Pervious concrete is also much cooler than asphalt or conventional concrete minimizing UHI effect. The light color reflects ultraviolet rays that would be absorbed by asphalt, and components of the material are able to breathe preventing it from storing heat the way conventional concrete does.