Skip to main content

MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Monroe County, MCC Honored for First LEED Certified ‘Green’ Project


Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and MCC President Anne M. Kress yesterday unveiled the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) plaque at MCC’s Louis S. and Molly B. Wolk Center for Excellence in Nursing. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the County LEED Silver Certification for its sustainable design and construction of the building.

“Monroe County’s Green Building Policy is one of the several ways that we are becoming a more ‘green,’ sustainable and energy efficient community,” said County Executive Brooks.  “As the first municipal project in the county to receive LEED Silver Certification, the Wolk Center for Excellence in Nursing will surely set the standard for future municipal construction jobs in Monroe County.”

The Wolk Center for Excellence in Nursing received the certification because of the many sustainable design features which have been integrated into the two-story building’s structure; including low-flow plumbing, a highly reflective roof and a building envelope that optimizes energy performance.  The 22,000 square foot facility also contains at least 20% overall recycled content which has been manufactured, harvested and/or recovered within 500 miles of the college.  The Wolk Center also received praise for its high levels of lighting system and thermal comfort control.


The facility was funded in part by a $2 million gift from the Louis S. and Molly B. Wolk Foundation to the MCC Foundation. The gift is the largest ever received by the MCC Foundation. The center opened in 2008 and features technologically advanced classrooms, a nursing resource center, and learning labs that mirror actual health care settings—greatly enhancing the educational experience for MCC nursing students. The Wolk Foundation is highy regarded locally for its support of many educational, cultural and health care initiatives.

“As a high-performance green building, the Wolk Center for Excellence in Nursing symbolizes MCC’s commitment to being socially, environmentally and economically responsible,” added Anne M. Kress, MCC President.  “Our partnership with Monroe County has led to an innovative and sustainable facility that offers significant resource savings for the college and enhanced educational opportunities for our nursing students.”

(This article was based on the official Monroe County press release.)

Rosanna Condello
College and Community Relations
08/14/2009