HEADER
Date:

To: Honorable Chairman Bruno A. Barreiro and
Members, Board of County Commissioners

From: George M. Burgess
County Manager

Subject: Implementing Order 8-8 Instituting Departmental Policies
and Procedures in Furtherance of the County�s Sustainable Buildings Program.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that the Board of County Commissioners approve the attached Implementing Order (IO), which shall institute those administrative policies and procedures to be followed by all County departments engaged in activities related to the design, construction, renovation and/or maintenance of County-owned, -financed and -operated buildings, in order to incorporate sustainable development practices in the day-to-day operations of the County.

PURPOSE:

This Implementing Order is in furtherance of the County�s �Sustainable Buildings Program,� as mandated by Sections 9-71 through 9-75 of the Code of Miami-Dade County. The Implementing Order is intended to provide consistent direction to County agencies and departments so as to ensure adherence to principles and processes that comply with the County�s Sustainable Building Program. The program, which falls under the oversight of the County�s Sustainability Manager, calls for the integration of materials and methods promoting environmental quality, economic vitality, and social benefit through the design, construction and operation of the County�s built environment.

SCOPE:

This Implementing Order will have a Countywide effect.

MANAGER'S BACKGROUND

On October 18, 2005 the Board of County Commissioners approved Resolution R-1200-05, which established Sustainable Building as a policy of Miami-Dade County, and directed the County Manager to prepare a plan to implement the policy. In accordance with that directive, staff from GSA and the County Attorney�s Office reviewed a broad variety of similar programs in other jurisdictions across the country, and sought input from the Department of Procurement Management, the Office of Capital Improvements, and all other County agencies with large capital development programs or with regulatory roles in the development process, in order to draft Ordinance 07-65, which was approved by the Board on May 8, 2007. The ordinance amended the Code of Miami-Dade County to establish a Sustainable Buildings Program (The Program) for Miami-Dade County facilities, requires the creation of a Sustainability Manager (SM) position to oversee the program, and mandates the use of external sustainability rating system(s) to measure the County�s efforts.

Order Overview:

1- Sustainable (�Green�) Design:
The mission of sustainable or �green� design is to promote the design and construction of buildings that are environmentally responsible, economical to operate, and healthy places to live and work. As defined by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it is �design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and occupants in five broad areas including: sustainable site planning, safeguarding water and water efficiency, energy efficiency and renewable energy, conservation of materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality�.

2- Rating System:
Except as provided for elsewhere in the Implementing Order, the primary mechanism for determining compliance with the Ordinance shall be the USGBC�s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System�. The LEED Green Building Rating System helps design teams and facility managers realize and attain green project goals. It is a nationally recognized and utilized voluntary certification process that provides a definitive standard for what constitutes �green� building practices. LEED Certification is obtainable at four levels including Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The LEED Certification process promotes a whole-project integrated design process, provides standards for recognition of sustainable design leaders and buildings, and raises awareness of the importance of �green� design.

3- Sustainability Manager (SM):
The Implementing Order delegates broad discretionary authority to the SM for coordinating the County�s sustainability efforts. The SM shall be tasked with directing and coordinating the County�s sustainability policy, and with the collection and dissemination of information related to the County�s sustainability initiatives. He/She will be instrumental for ensuring specific functions that should be performed within County government, either as a direct task or indirectly by working with designated departments. The SM will also be responsible for the following functions:

* Making final determinations on requests for exemption or substitution of rating standards.
* Maintaining a comprehensive list of all current building projects and tracking the progress of each such project as it relates to LEED compliance.
* Preparing annual progress report summarizing County performance under Sustainable Buildings Program.
* Serving as the County liaison with the South Florida Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, and other appropriate entities.


4- Scope of Construction:
The extent to which sustainability requirements are sought will depend on the extent of the project. The degree of compliance will be enforced, as predetermined by the selected Rating System, varying in accordance to the type and size of the job to be performed:

* New construction, which includes the construction of any new building or any addition to a building, shall be required to attain �Silver� or higher designation under the LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) Rating System.

* Renovate to improve or repair the condition of an existing building/structure.

? Major renovation/remodel includes those projects in existing buildings where the cost of construction is equal to, or exceeds 50% of the building�s replacement cost. Such projects shall be required to attain �Silver� or higher designation under the LEED-NC Rating System

? Non-major renovation/remodel includes those projects in existing buildings where the cost of construction is less than 50% of the building�s replacement cost, but greater than $1 Million. Such projects shall attain �Certified� or higher designation under the appropriate LEED Rating System such as LEED for Existing Building, Commercial Interiors, Core and Shell, et al.

Departmental Responsibilities:

Detailed direction regarding implementation of the Sustainable Building Program throughout County departments will be formulated and monitored through the Sustainability Manager. At a minimum, however, departments with roles and/or responsibilities in the design, construction, renovation, management and/or maintenance of County-owned, -financed and -operated buildings shall have responsibilities as follows:

OFFICE OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS (OCI):

Ensure that all County construction contracts governed by the Ordinance contain specific language requiring compliance.

DEPARTMENT OF PROCURMENT MANAGEMENT (DPM):

As directed by the Sustainability Manager or OCI, include appropriate language in procurement contracts for goods and/or services that ensures compliance with the Ordinance.

ALL OTHER DEPARTMENTS:

* Utilize the most current USGBC LEED criteria available to incorporate green building practices in the planning, design, and construction of new buildings, and in the remodeling, renovation, management and maintenance of existing buildings.


* As required by the Ordinance and/or the Sustainability Manager, ensure that all designated projects are registered as �green building� projects through the USGBC.


* Designate a staff member to act as a liaison with the Office of Sustainability for purposes of coordination and education on existing and future County initiatives as part of an overall sustainability strategy.

* Submit quarterly status reports to the Office of Sustainability providing information relative to LEED checklist accomplishments for registered projects.

* Undertake proactive measures to ensure that all relevant staff becomes knowledgeable about green building practices and the benefits of green building through the:
o training and accreditation of staff, as appropriate;
o communication of the substance and benefits of sustainable building practices, in general, and the LEED Green Building Rating System, in particular;
o commitment of effort and financial support to pursue certification of every project;
o setting and pursuit of annual sustainability achievement targets;
o inclusion of sustainability achievement goals in departmental business plan.

Track Record/Monitor:

Oversight will be provided by the County�s Sustainability Manager (SM).

Fiscal Impact/Funding Source:

The FY2006-07 Resource Allocation and Multi-Year Capital Plan includes $590,000 for the creation of the Office of Sustainability. Recruitment is underway for the Sustainability Manager who, once hired, will develop a detailed spending plan for the Office.

The degree to which sustainability requirements add cost to construction, renovation, and maintenance projects is contingent on the type and size of the project, and the �degree� of sustainability being sought. Industry research clearly shows that, in recent years, the gap between sustainable (�green�) and conventional development has narrowed dramatically, to the point that some level of sustainability can be achieved at virtually the same cost as conventional projects. Higher levels of sustainable development can be achieved at very modest cost premiums � recent studies consistently show the increase in capital development cost at less than 2%. And, in all cases, even where there is a cost premium in the initial development cost, the savings in operating costs over the life of the building will offset that initial �green� investment by a 10 to 1 ratio.



_______________________________
Director
General Services Administration

TITLE

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPROVAL OF IMPLEMENTING ORDER 8-8: ESTABLISHING GUIDELINES TO FURTHER OUR SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS PROGRAM INITIATIVE; AND AUTHORIZING THE COUNTY MAYOR OR HIS DESIGNEE TO EXERCISE ANY AND ALL OTHER RIGHTS CONFERRED THEREIN

BODY
WHEREAS, this Board desires to accomplish the purposes outlined in the accompanying memorandum, a copy of which is incorporated herein by reference,
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board hereby that this Board hereby approves Implementing Order 8-8 which establishes guidelines to further the Sustainable Buildings Program Initiative; in substantially the form attached hereto and made a part hereof; and authorizes the County Mayor or his designee to exercise any and all other rights conferred therein.