In years gone by, the downtown of a rural city was the hub of community life. Abuzz with activity, downtown was the center of shopping, banking, dining and entertainment. It was where people went to church and to participate in civic functions. It was where people got married and welcomed the heroes home from war.

Time has taken its toll on rural America’s downtowns. Interests change. The markets change. People’s heads are turned and sprawl happened. Not huge sprawl. It is rural America, after all. But enough sprawl to lead people, business and the economy away from downtown -- away from the heart of the community.

Some believe that a rebirth in rural downtowns could be a catalyst for a rebirth in the community’s economy. Take Ripley, Tenn., for example. Like many small towns across the country, the economy has ravaged Ripley and its surrounding Lauderdale County in recent years. The people of Ripley have seen industries pack up and move away or simply shut down all together. Local businesses have been impacted by the loss of jobs to the point that many have closed their doors, leading to additional job losses.

Thanks to legislation sponsored by Ripley’s state Representative Craig Fitzhugh nearly 10 years ago, the city became one of six Tennessee cities in counties with a population less than 120,000 to receive Courthouse Square Revitalization (CRZ) Pilot project funding. “A revitalized downtown is an integral part of Ripley’s redevelopment,” Fitzhugh said. “I am very excited about our future. We have the opportunity to literally transform our city and make it viable for the 21st century.”

Much of the project’s funding comes from the State of Tennessee, which annually returns to Ripley the state’s portion of the sales tax generated by businesses in the downtown zone. With each new retail business in the zone, available funding increases.

The revitalization of downtown can have far reaching effects, Fitzhugh said, from encouraging more businesses to open downtown and helping attract industrial prospects to the community to improving quality of life.  

Some of the more-important questions that were asked were, How could Ripley use the funds they were given to accomplish their goals, and just how “green” could the project be?  

The area has grown far more environmentally aware as green energy and technology begins to play a large role in the Tennessee economy. The University of Tennessee at Martin Ripley Center will play an integral part in the state’s solar initiative with the development and operation of a solar farm located on nearby Interstate 40.  

Court Square Renovations

Ripley’s court square is being made more pedestrian friendly. Utilizing traffic calming techniques, engineers are creating an atmosphere around the area that is inviting to pedestrians by making the area safer for them.

Traffic signals that once allowed vehicles to enter the square without stopping are being changed to stop signs. Not only is this safer for pedestrians but also for vehicular traffic. Drivers attempting to back out of a parking space will be better able to predict traffic entering the square.

Traffic lanes are being narrowed, while trees and landscape are being increased. Drivers tend to drive more slowly in narrower lanes and when trees are present. Also, pedestrians have a shorter crossing distance when the drive lanes are narrow.  

Some walks are being widened into plazas with plenty of seating to encourage people to congregate and socialize. These plazas and all areas of the square will be connected with extra-wide crosswalks to make it easy and inviting for a pedestrian to stroll and shop without feeling the need to get in a car and drive. 

The new streetlights in the revitalization area not only complement the era of the courthouse but also their prismatic glass lamps direct light down for pedestrian safety as well as to reduce night sky light pollution. The lighting in the courthouse is 75 percent more efficient than the previous lighting.

Increasing the landscaped areas and reducing impervious paving has reduced the amount of stormwater entering the drainage system. This also increases the amount of water that infiltrates the ground helping to recharge the local aquifer.

The amount of paving and buildings in cities cause urban areas to have an increased amount of heat compared to surrounding rural areas, which contributes to global warming. By reducing paving and increasing landscape areas, the heat island effect is also greatly reduced.

Allowing a variety of uses in buildings developed in higher densities reduces the demands on the community’s infrastructure such as the water, sewer and electrical systems. In contrast, sprawling development requires utilities to be run longer distances, greatly increasing the costs to the community. Having a variety of uses and basic services in a smaller area not only makes shopping more convenient but also makes the area more sustainable. When increasing numbers of people begin to shop in an area that offers the convenience of lots of services and businesses all in one place, businesses will want to locate and sell services where the people are shopping.

Courthouse renovation

The uniqueness of the Lauderdale County Courthouse architecture makes its renovation both inside and out even more culturally significant. The amount of energy saved by having new efficient windows, doors and HVAC system will reduce the building’s energy consumption by 35 percent. Improvement in energy efficiency has come by replacing old single-pane windows with better performing dual-pane insulated glass. The window profiles replicate the art deco style of those being replaced so that the architectural integrity of the historic building is not compromised. Marvin Windows and Doors manufactured at Marvin’s Ripley facility contribute to the local economy and reduce environmental impact by reducing truck rolls on shipping. The replacement windows with insulated glass have reduced air and water infiltration, reducing the amount of energy and costs to run the furnace or air conditioning to compensate.

Bronze-tinted windows function as a design element in this building, but they also have a green aspect. Tinted glass absorbs heat, so less heat passes through the window to heat the building’s interior. Glass tints reduce the penetration of heat and light into a building, reducing both the solar heat gain coefficient and visible transmittance. This can be beneficial in an area that gets a lot of sunshine. Tinted glazing also reduces glare.

Maintaining the integrity of the architectural styling of the Lauderdale County Courthouse was important in the revitalization of the city’s downtown. Marvin Windows and Doors was able to produce custom windows for the project that were both in keeping with style and able to contribute to serious energy-cost reduction.

The Mitsubishi Electric HVAC system used in the renovation promotes “environmental awareness through not only the innovative technology that encompass all of the products, but in how the products themselves are designed and manufactured,” according to Mitsubishi officials.

Eco-friendly refrigerant such as R410A refrigerant offers zero ozone depletion potential and allows for higher heat transfer coefficient. This innovative feature means a reduction in equipment size, a reduction in piping size and higher pressure for greater performance. Smaller equipment also means less impact on the environment at the end of the product’s life cycle. Standard compliance can be found in all Mitsubishi Electric HVAC products. The product design follows standards and guidelines as set forth by ENERGY STAR, EPA, ARI, ASHRAE, UL, ETL and ISO.

Recycling is built into the design. The air conditioners are specially designed to allow for easy cleaning, efficient disassembly and more practical recycling. The number of parts used in indoor units has been reduced by adopting modular components, a process which also simplifies material separation for recycling. To date, as much as 89.8 percent of the materials used to build a standard system component are recyclable.

Providing minimal impact on landfills, all air-conditioning products use long-life washable filters rather than disposable filters. Smart energy usage is demonstrated by Mitsubishi Electric’s Inverter zoning system that, unlike a typical full-power system, smartly delivers only the amount of capacity needed. Individual indoor air handlers are installed within the zone. These air handlers measure the load for that specific zone and deliver, for added efficiency, only the capacity needed directly to the space. This reduces the amount of energy lost in long duct runs. If the zone is not being used, the space does not have to be continually conditioned. Smarter sensing technology and microprocessors enhance the system’s ability to measure room temperature accurately for added comfort, performance and efficiency.

The renovation of existing buildings is a sustainable concept. Reusing a building not only preserves the cultural history associated with the building but also reduces the demands and environmental impacts that relate to the materials’ manufacturing and transport. It also reduces the amount of waste from building demolition that goes to landfills. Ripley is renovating 44 of its downtown buildings.

Sidebar: Team members

Architecture:
Ben Witt, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB, NCIDQ
Lisa Starzynski, Architectural Designer

Landscape Architecture:
Andy Reynolds, RLA, ASLA
Joe Vanderpluym, RLA, ASLA
Marissa Nowlin, ASLA

Civil Engineering:
Pat Harcourt, PE, CPESC, Principal, Askew, Hargraves, Harcourt, and Associates Inc. (A2H)
Jaime Bostick, PE, CPESC, A2H
Andy Sampson, CPESC, A2H

Electrical Engineering:
Mike Dudas, PE, LEED AP, CLEP, A2H
Pat Jorgensen, PE, Jorgensen Engineering PLLC

Structural Engineering:
Mark Askew, PE, President, A2H
Logan Meeks, PE, Principal, A2H


Green Material Resources

Crab Orchard Stone: Quarried in Tennessee and distributed by Advantage Stone and Hardscapes, of Germantown, Tenn. And Agricenter International, of Memphis, Tenn.

Holophane Light Fixtures: Holophane/AEL

BASF Building Systems: BASF Sonolastic SL 2 polyurethane sealant for pavement expansion joints with less than 64.4 g/L VOCs

Marvin Windows and Doors
M & W Glass Inc.