OUC-The Reliable One marked the official unveiling of Reliable Plaza, the utility's new green downtown customer service and administration center, with a salute to Veterans this past Veteran's Day.

More than 300 guests, including local elected officials and former OUC commissioners, gathered to celebrate the dedication of "The Greenest Building in Downtown Orlando" and see the OUC Board, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, OUC General Manager and CEO Ken Ksionek and Central Florida chapter president of the U.S. Green Building Council Christina Webb cut the ribbon in front of Reliable Plaza.

In honor of Veteran's Day, six OUC employees who had served in the military kicked off the dedication ceremony with the raising of the United States flag.

"Two and a half years ago when the Department of Transportation needed the OUC garage for the expressway expansion, we were faced with the challenge of replacing a facility that had been OUC's home for 40 years," OUC Board President Katie Porta said. "We saw the need for a new building as an opportunity ? an opportunity to improve convenience for our customers and set the standard for future energy and water efficient buildings in Central Florida."

The new 10-story facility at 100 West Anderson Street was designed and built to meet the Gold-level requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. It uses 28 percent less energy and 40 percent less water than a similar facility built to standard building codes.

Reliable Plaza's green features include:

? A rooftop array of 144 solar photovoltaic panels that generate up to 32 kilowatt hours of electricity
? Four solar thermal panels to produce hot water
? High efficiency glass and daylight sensitive lighting
? Highly reflective roofing and covered parking to reduce heat absorption
? Raised flooring for more efficient cooling and heating
? A 30,000 gallon cistern to collect rainwater for on-site irrigation
? Drought-tolerant landscaping
? Low flow plumbing and water fixtures
? Bicycle racks, preferred parking for fuel efficient vehicles

In addition, Reliable Plaza provides convenient elements for the 12,000 customers who visit each month. Those features include:

? Convenient walk-in, full-service customer service ? commercial and residential
? Three drive-through service lanes
? Payment drop box
? Ample parking
? Proximity to LYNX routes for easy access

The facility also is home to a customer service call center and OUC's administrative and support operations. Nearly 300 employees are based at the new facility. OUC's temporary downtown customer service center on West Jefferson Street has been closed, and the former administration building at 500 S. Orange Ave. is up for sale.

Established in 1923 by a special act of the Florida Legislature, OUC?The Reliable One is the second largest municipal utility in Florida. OUC provides electric and water services to more than 254,000 customers in Orlando, St. Cloud and parts of unincorporated Orange and Osceola counties.

Mon Dec 01 11:23:00 CST 2008