Wege Foundation Contributed to GREEN Kroc

The new Grand Rapids Kroc Community Center will be LEED-certified, a requirement for The Wege Foundation’s financial support of the project. But Peter Wege’s influence could also affect the infrastructure of the 37 other Kroc Centers scheduled in the future.

Thanks to The Wege Foundation’s advocacy for geo-thermal heating and cooling, the Kroc building committee did extensive research into that possibility for the coming South Division Kroc Center. While the local Army leaders knew geo-thermal would cost more to install than standard heating and air conditioning, they computed that over time, the reduced utility bills would pay back the initial investment and then forever after save energy costs.

The committee knew it was a risky decision since so little geo-thermal had ever been done in West Michigan. They couldn’t afford to have their $56 million operation fail because of heating problems. But they also knew The Wege Foundation’s leadership in funding only green buildings had paid off for many other non-profits who had also benefited from the Foundation’s generous gifts.

The decision to install geo-thermal might well have a ripple affect across the country. Since the Grand Rapids Kroc Center is ahead of almost all the other future Centers, the Salvation Army leaders in those planned Centers are looking to this city for direction. By choosing geo-thermal—warm water from underground—Grand Rapids might just make this environmentally sound heating-cooling system the prototype for the other possibly 37 Kroc Centers to be built in coming years.

Pictured above - Children from two grade schools bordering the future Kroc Community Center south of Burton Heights sing at the groundbreaking ceremonies October 29, 2008. These are among the 11,000 young people 17 and under who will be able to walk to the family recreation Center when it opens in early 2010.

Read more about Ray and Joan Kroc Center at www.kroccenter.org

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