A fully sustainable and solar-powered office building that will serve as the headquarters for New England Environmental Inc. has opened.

The environmental consulting company recently moved into the building at 15 Research Drive and has Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification pending; many elements of the building's construction and operation that are considered "green." The company is aiming to achieve gold certification from the rating system administered by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 15,800-square-foot building has 39,000 watts of photovoltaic panels, no materials containing volatile organic compounds, several water-efficient fixtures, Forest Stewardship Council wood products, and a low-impact development site design, with native plants used for landscaping.

"We are very proud of all of the sustainable features of our new offices and we hope to use our facilities as a demonstration for our clients and an educational tool for the community," said New England Environmental President Michael Marcus, in a statement.

The building was designed by Kuhn-Riddle Architects and built by Arrowwood Construction.

The public is welcome to visit the building by appointment by calling 256-0202.

Farewell to a selectman

With March 15 being the night of the final Select Board meeting Gerry Weiss will attend as a member, the board will gather starting an hour early for a reception to honor his six years of service.

Residents and well-wishers are invited to gather at 5:30 p.m. at the Town Room at Town Hall.

Weiss, who is seeking a Town Meeting seat, opted against running for a third time. His position is expected to be filled by Jim Wald, who along with incumbent Alisa Brewer are the only two candidates for two open seats on the Select Board at the March 23 town election.

Memories of The Drake

People with stories about and pictures and artifacts related to The Drake and Perry hotels and the Rathskeller Bar are encouraged to contact the Amherst History Museum for a future exhibition called "Three on Amity."

Now known as the Perry Apartments, the building at the corner of Amity and North Prospect streets was constructed in the middle of the 19th century and was used as a hotel, tavern and restaurant until its renovation and conversion in the early 1980s.

The Drake's most visible memory, aside from the building that housed it, remains on the west side of the Amherst Cinema building, where graffiti "Save the Drake" and "For Willy, for humanity" are still painted on the brick. Willie Whitfield was the bartender at the bar, leading some to call it "Willie's Rathskeller."

Anyone who has information to share should contact the museum's executive director, Patricia Lutz, by email at director@amhersthistory.org or by calling 256-0678.

SOURCE: Amherst Bulletin