As of January, there were only 25 buildings in North Carolina that had achieved a certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating.

One of them is right here in Tarboro.

On Tuesday, Piedmont Natural Gas held a grand opening celebration of its new environmentally-friendly operations center at 110 Commerce Center Drive in Tarboro.

Tarboro Mayor Donald Morris, State Representative Joe Tolson, Edgecombe County Manager Lorenzo Carmon and a number of Edgecombe County commissioners and Tarboro Town councilmen were on-hand for the event, which included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of the new 20,000 square-foot facility.

The ground-breaking ceremony was held in February and employees moved in to the facility in October.

Piedmont Natural Gas employs approximately 35 people in Edgecombe County and serves more than 15,000 customers in Eastern North Carolina.

“I just want to say thanks for keeping these jobs here in Tarboro,” said Morris. “You could have built this facility anywhere in a nine-county service area, yet you chose to stay here.

“And we are interested in keeping you here.”

“I am so pleased that you constructed a ‘green' building,” said Tolson. “Thank you for making the effort to build it in this way.”

The new facility, which replaced Piedmont's old offices at 410 Dowd St., was designed by C design Inc. of Charlotte.

Project Architect Gary Beal, AIA, said that the facility features low-emitting carpets, sealant, paint and other materials that allow for optimized indoor air quality; natural light throughout the facility to reduce electricity consumption; multiple thermostat zones for greater control and increased efficiency, and water-efficient fixtures and landscaping.

Also, regional and recycled building materials were used throughout the construction process to decrease pollution from long-distance transport.

“We designed this facility with sustainability in mind,” said Beal.

Beal said that LEED is a certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to evaluate the environmental performance of buildings.

To achieve a LEED rating, a project must meet prerequisites and earn LEED credits in a number of environmental categories including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and innovation and design.

“This project exceeded all our expectations,” said Beal. “We are very proud of this facility.”

Beal said that Piedmont’s new Operations Center was designed not only to be more environmentally sound, but also to be more cost-efficient.

“This facility is about 21 percent more energy efficient than a standard building of the same size,” said Beal. “That’s a real number, and it translates into savings.”

Beal added that the more energy-efficient and cost-efficient fixtures usually pay for themselves within a matter of years.

“We usually try to keep it within the 5 to 7-year range,” said Beal.

Tarboro Fire Chief Billy Whitaker said that buildings of this type are not only environmentally safer, but are generally safer as well.

“The construction of these buildings are really fine-tuned,” said Whittaker. “And with the materials they use as well, they are much less of a fire hazard.”

Piedmont’s Community Relations Manager John Monaghan said that the employees are even more proud of the new facility than the community is.

“For years, they have had to work out of inadequate facilities,“ said Monaghan. “It’s like they have died and gone to heaven.”

“We are so proud of this place,” said Piedmont Natural Gas Operation Supervisor Yvonne Ellis. “I brought my mother here after we had moved in and it just blew her away.”