Published: April 21, 2008 11:57 am      

For Conemaugh tech park, 'Green is the way to go'

With technology as its middle name, it seemed natural to incorporate the latest environmentally friendly advances into construction of Greater Johnstown Technology Park.

"We are trying to make it as green as possible," said Robert Gleason, chairman of tech-park owners Conemaugh Enterprises Inc.

Planners followed national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design elements to be certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's rating system, architect George Halkias said. He is the project's principal designer for L. Robert Kimball & Associates.

"Energy efficiency is a key component," Halkias said, noting the certification process also looks at erosion control, water conservation, use of recycled materials and light pollution.

Construction for the tech park's $20 million Phase One building is on schedule for completion in November, Gleason said.

Opening-day tenants will include defense contractors Northrop Grumman and MTS Technologies, filling almost two-thirds of the 94,000-square-foot building.

Marketing efforts have brought numerous inquiries about the remaining space, and negotiations continue with several potential tenants.

"We are confident when the doors swing open, the place will be filled," Gleason said. "It is going to be a wonderful building when it opens."

Northrop Grumman Corp. was the first to announce it would consolidate its Johnstown-area operations into the new tech park and launch a cooperative program with Conemaugh Health System, the tech park's sponsoring body.

In November 2006, Northrop Grumman announced it would lease 30,000 square feet - one entire floor - of the tech park's first building. Working with Conemaugh's Memorial Medical Center, the national defense contractor will develop and test heath-care information technology systems to adapt Northrop's medical records software for the private sector.

The two organizations are also redesigning the Conemaugh Health System's information technology network to military uses. In January, leaders announced a project to use Conemaugh-developed electronic medical records software to help military, Veterans Affairs and civilian health providers to share information while protecting confidentiality.

"This initiative will allow doctors on the battlefield and doctors right here in Johnstown to collaborate to help our wounded warriors," Northrop spokesman Bruce Walker said in January.

The idea is to connect military and Veterans Affairs hospitals around the world using the same system that connects Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown to Meyersdale and Miners medical centers.

Those programs will complement system support operation based in Johnstown as part of the company's National Workforce Centers Initiative. The idea is "to provide high-quality, cost-effective technology centers within the United States as an alternative to off-shoring," the company's Web site says.

By locating the information technology and support centers outside major urban centers, the company can provide its workers a better quality of life and lower cost of living, Johnstown site manager Bill Moynihan said. There are work force centers in Johnstown; Fairmount, W.Va.; Lebanon, Va.; Auburn, Ala.; Corsicana, Texas; Helena, Mont.; and Rapid City, S.D.

"It is attractive as a recruitment tool to bring young people into Northrop Grumman," Moynahan said. "They can start their careers and young married life a lot easier (in Johnstown) than they could in most major cities."

The current work force of about 50 employees is expected to grow as new programs develop.

When MTS Technologies consolidates its Johnstown operations, its tech park facility will be the national technology center, said Krista Stephens, administrative vice president.

"We have a bevy of talent up in the Johnstown office," Stephens said.

The company provides management and technical services for private industry and the government, designing software systems to address specific issues. One project helped the Defense Logistics Agency identify and reduce back order problems by predicting supply chain issues and demand.

The company specializes in solving problems, said Susan Ovalle, vice president of operations.

"If there is an issue, we provide the end-to-end solution," Ovalle said.

MTS is developing an onboard vehicle diagnostic system that links directly to the automobile manufacturers' technicians. Installed in 1,600 test vehicles, the system helps identify intermittent problems and improve performance, Ovalle said.

As those programs grow, Johnstown employment will continue to increase, said Bart Whitman, MTS senior vice president.

"We've been in Johnstown since we've been in business," Whitman said. "We expect some significant expansion."

Additional tenants could be announced soon, said John M. Moryken, Conemaugh's vice president for business development and marketing, and Bill Gregory, facilities director.

"We continue to market that space," Moryken said. "During Showcase for Commerce (in May) we plan to have tours of that building."

"We are in discussions with some other tenants - both in-town and out-of-town companies," Gregory said.

But the tech park is not just an office building. Leaders say it is designed as a showcase for the city, spearheaded by Conemaugh and the Johnstown Redevelopment Authority. Green building certification is a big undertaking, said Director Ron Repak from the Redevelopment Authority office.

"There is a whole host of things that go into it," Repak said, noting there will be four parking spaces reserved for hybrid cars.

"There can be tax advantages for some of the tenants," Repak said. "Green is the way to go to seek out those advantages."

Air conditioning and air quality engineering is designed to for green building certification, and water-efficient plumbing fixtures will be featured throughout the building, Gregory said.

Outside the building, there are plans for a river walk trail along the Stonycreek River connecting Franklin to Napoleon streets behind the building.

"We are talking to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources about funding to connect that to the Path of the Flood Trail," Repak said.