The Western Nassau Water Authority in New York’s Long Island serves an area of 40 square miles, encompassing 28,000 customers in the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead, as well as several villages. As a nonprofit, public-benefit corporation, the Water Authority must make shrewd use of its resources, so there came a time when planners realized that their annual rent costs of $400,000 for an outdated facility in Floral Park were not serving them, their 51 employees, or their customers well.

In addition to being costly, the space simply didn’t meet their needs. Describing the room for board meetings, board member Marianna Wohlgemuth said, “In the winter, I bring a blanket, it’s so cold. In the summer, it’s sweltering.”

Recognizing that it could make better use of land that it already owned, the Water Authority began work on an $8 million facility over two active well sites in New Hyde Park.

Metl-Span furnished approximately 7,500 square-feet of panels – including insulated CFA and 7.2 Insul-Rib panels — which provided a clean appearance as well as energy efficiency and cost effectiveness.  Valspar Fluropon coating in Polar White also contributed to the bright look of the new structure. With Michael Tierney, superintendent of the Water Authority, publicly stating that the building would “last the district 100 years,” Fluropon’s outstanding durability and UV protection will certainly come in handy.

Due to the rounded appearance of the building, bending the CFA panels posed a challenge. Girandola & Shutkind Construction spent a lot of time reviewing the specs before installing the panels. The panels that required a 90-degree bend were fabricated in the factory. Whereas, the panels that called for a 45-degree bend, we manually bent on site. Finally, Metl-Span’s Metl-Vision Window System was installed, adding to the aesthetic of the building by complementing the horizontal wall panels.

The building was completed in 2013, and has been credited with adding functionality and efficiency for workers and the public.

Western Nassau Water Authority, 1580 Union Turnpike, New Hyde Park, NY 11040; http://www.wawnc.org/cm

• Coatings provider: The Valspar Corporation; Minneapolis; http://www.valsparcoilextrusion.com/
• Panel Supplier:  Metl-Span; Lewisville, TX;www.metl-span.com
• Panels engineering, production, Installation: Girandola & Shutkind Construction; Bronx, N.Y.; http://www.girandolashutkindconstruction.com/
• Architect: Charlie Lovell of Angelo Francis Corva & Associates; West Hempstead, N.Y.