By Joel Spears
Features Editor

MOUNT CARMEL - Construction crews are placing the finishing touches on a new, $12 million Tennessee Army National Guard Kingsport Armed Forces Reserve Center in Mount Carmel.  And while no opening date has been released, it was evident on Monday the project is almost complete.
    Contracted workers have been  busy planting trees and rolling out sod in the hot sun to accommodate the Guard's new eco-friendly home.  The 54,466-square-foot Main Building and nearby 960-square-foot Storage Building are both designed with a variety of "green" features, designed for the property to be more self-sustaining by consuming less energy and using less water.
    The project, touted as a first of its kind for Northeast Tennessee when the ground was officially broken in May 2009, meets the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines for a Silver Rating.
    LEED is the standard used to determine the "green" rating of construction projects.
    Innovations that have been incorporated into the facility to meet a Silver Rating include: roof vegetation which uses  low-growing plants in moveable trays placed over half the roof to reduce heat gain in summer, as well as increase oxygen; skylights to reduce the need for artificial lighting; geo-thermal heating and cooling systems that use the earth's constant temperature to heat and cool the building interior through a series of underground wells and heat pumps; on-demand water heating; hydronically heated floor slabs to help reduce the need for forced air; polished and stained concrete floor slabs to avoid use of synthetic flooring; pre-colored interior walls to avoid paint; underground rainwater harvesting tanks for vehicle washing; standing-seam metal roofing, a recyclable material that has a life span of 40 to 80 years; dual-flush toilets; and a range of other fixtures designed to help protect the environment.
    The new Armed Forces Reserve Center is located off of U.S. Highway 11W at Inglewood Avenue in Mount Carmel.  It will replace the former headquarters, located at the intersection of 11W and Lewis Lane in Allandale.