GLENDALE, Ariz. – As part of its ongoing commitment to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of cement and concrete to sustainable building solutions, the Portland Cement Association (PCA) honored three officials from the City of Glendale, AZ with 2008 PCA Sustainable Leadership Awards. Mayor Elaine M. Scruggs, City Manager Horatio Skeete and Transit Administrator Cathy Colbath were honored in a ceremony yesterday at Glendale City Hall. The awards were presented by Stew Waller, Executive Director, Arizona Cement Association and Scott Palmer, Marketing Development Manager, Salt Rivers Materials Group.

The PCA Sustainable Leadership Awards honor public officials who utilize cement or cement based products to achieve sustainable benefits. The officials in Glendale were recognized for their choice of pervious concrete in the construction of a new 642-space, 3.4 acre Park and Ride mass transit facility. In addition to recognizing officials in Glendale, PCA selected winners in seven other cities across the country who have enacted policies or completed projects that promote sustainable development through the use of concrete and cement-based products.

“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.

The use of pervious concrete in the Park and Ride was essential in helping to fulfill the city’s rising concerns about UHI (Urban Heat Island) effects and water scarcity. This light colored material reflects ultraviolet rays that would be absorbed by asphalt, and its components allow it to breathe, preventing it from storing heat the way conventional concrete does. By constructing the lot with pervious concrete, water is allowed to drain through it, filtering out contaminants such as oil, grease and chemicals that could potentially enter the groundwater supply. Pervious concrete was also chosen for its durability. Unlike traditional asphalt parking lots, ones constructed with pervious concrete last considerably longer and require little to no resurfacing – helping the city keep costs down over the life of the structure.

The new Park and Ride facility opened to a very excited community on March 26, 2008. Equipped with 642 spaces, it was calculated that numbers have been in the 600 mark on a weekly basis, proving to the City that this was a sound investment.

The Park and Ride facility 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. Since completion of the project, other cities and agencies have reached out to Glendale about their use of pervious concrete as they research applications in their projects.

By building a structure of this magnitude, nearly 140,000-square-foot, the City of Glendale boasts the largest use of pervious concrete in the Southwest region today.

To learn more about the Award and sustainable development benefits made possible by concrete, visit http://www.cement.org/newsroom/SLA_2008_Awards.asp.

About PCA
The Portland Cement Association, based in Skokie, Ill., represents cement companies in the United States and Canada.  It conducts market development engineering, research, education, and public affairs programs.  Additional information is available at PCA’s Web site, www.cement.org.