Staff Report

Blain’s Farm & Fleet will open the doors to its 35th store, located at 4567 E. Rockton Road, Rockton, Ill., Thursday, April 12.

The 122,000-square-foot store, designed to be environmentally friendly, is set to host a grand opening celebration April 26-28.

The new concept store focuses on offering customers high-quality products, competitive prices and reliable service. The store is also taking the following measures in attempts to reduce its carbon footprint:

• Clerestory windows are reducing the need for artificial lighting.

• Any oil generated from oil changes in the automotive service center will be turned into an alternative fuel source. This is done through a clean burn waste system that will, in turn, be used to heat the service center in cold temperatures.

• 86 skylights will be used throughout the building to harvest daylight. These skylights will provide approximately 30 percent energy savings.

• Instant water heaters will be used in the building, eliminating stand-by heat associated with conventional tank-type water heaters.

• An energy management system will be used in the building to control lighting and HVAC equipment.

• The steel used in the building was purchased from Butler Manufacturing Company of Kansas City. Steel from Butler Manufacturing Company is composed of 70 percent recycled material.

• The building is a super insulated unit that has 50 percent more wall and roof insulation than the minimum code requirements.

• Throughout the building, light fixtures, which are 20 percent more energy efficient than previous buildings, are being utilized to save energy.

• To reduce overall electrical usage, occupancy light sensors are being used in all office areas and restrooms. Additionally, photo control will be used for the retail sales floor, automatically turning off lights when there is enough natural light and automatically turning on lights when it becomes too dark.

• All outdoor signage will be LED instead of neon, which will provide at least 70 percent energy savings.

• A cardboard compactor has been installed to keep any cardboard that is disposed of from ending up in the landfill stream.

• Three 16-foot ceiling fans in the retail area will be used to circulate air, allowing thermostat settings to be raised in the summer and lowered in the winter while maintaining a comfortable shopping environment for the customers.

Even the general contractor, Building Systems, Inc., based in Madison, Wis., took the following steps to reinforce the green effort during the construction process:

• Local subcontractors and local materials were used whenever possible to save on fuel and travel as well as to promote the local economy.

• Maximized electronic distribution of project documents and information to reduce paper consumption and fuel costs related to travel.

• Reduction of wood studs and drywall scraps by use of pre-planning at the material ordering stage.

Visit RunUpToRockton.com ^[1] for more about the Rockton location. Blain’s Farm & Fleet is family owned and operated since 1955.

From the April 11-17, 2012, issue