The DeKalb City Council is currently discussing plans for a new police building, which will include many green initiatives.

Once the police department decided to look into going green, the DeKalb environmental commission stepped in with a lengthy list of green recommendations.

“They wanted to make sure the city moves forward in this regard,” said Police Chief Bill Feithen.

Since the plans are in the early stages, Feithen is not sure whether all or more of the recommendations will be followed.

Feithen, along will other staff, have been discussing a building with green aspects for several years. Feithen said they have been discussing the project even more in the last year or two.

Whether or not all the green recommendations are adopted depends on the company hired to construct the new building.

DeKalb City Manager Mark Biernacki said it also depends on the type of building constructed.

The city has cut down its list of architecture companies from five to one. Feithen said they will most likely sign with PSA-Dewberry.

Biernacki said the city is working on getting the building LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, a term used to describe if a building is green or not. Some buildings can also be greener than others at a silver, gold or platinum level.

“We certainly would like to receive the silver rating,” Feithen said.

Biernacki said the city plans to employ a variety of techniques to get to that level.

Many of the techniques are included in the list by the DeKalb environmental commission.

Some recommendations include using rain barrels to provide rain support for the foundation, motion detectors for lighting and an energy management system. To conserve materials, the environmental commission also recommended using recycled carpeting or bamboo floors. Indoor green plants were also recommended to improve air quality.

Feithen said the staff also visited other green buildings to get ideas.

Although the green recommendations do come with a higher cost (about an additional three to five percent of the original construction cost), Biernacki said that over time, the energy savings make up for the cost.

Despite the benefits of the green building techniques, Biernacki does not expect them to become required.

“Codes have not evolved,” Biernacki said. “There’s no green building requirements, although there’s a trend toward that construction technique.”

The city council will soon decide whether they should proceed with the plans or put them on hold for a while.

While DeKalb’s community development is already using hybrid cars, Feithen said the police department is not using them because they are too small for their needs.