County approves $600K for energy saving project

Feb. 22—After months of deliberating, the Effingham County Board has agreed to proceed with an energy saving project for the Effingham County Office Building.

The Effingham County Board Tuesday approved approximately $600,000 for the installation of a 61 kilowatt rooftop solar system and the replacement of all windows on the Effingham County Office Building's second, third and fourth floor.

Effingham County Board member Chris Keller was the only member to vote against approving funds for the project. Board member Elizabeth Huston was absent.

Before voting on the matter, board member Tim Ellis spoke in support of the project, citing the ability of the solar system to offset the cost of the window replacement project and produce up to 80% of it's power capacity 25 years after installation.

"We've been in talks with this for several months now," Ellis said. "I think we've researched as much as we can. I think that there is a savings over time."

Blaine Meadows of Centrica Business Solutions, the company overseeing the project, told members the solar system and replacement of the windows will make the county more energy independent.

"A solar system, and a small one at that, is a way for the county to take back a little control," Meadows said.

Ellis initially motioned to approve the project with plans to install only fixed windows, but this was amended by the board at the request of board member Norbert Soltwedel to include the option for up to four vented windows on each of the three floors of the building included in the scope of the project.

"I'll be honest. I definitely was a no before we started talking about vented windows because I talked to most all the department heads, and all of them pretty much said they wanted vented windows," Effingham County Board Vice Chairman Dave Campbell said.

Effingham County Sheriff Paul Kuhns also advocated for the inclusion of vented windows in the scope of the project.

"I know it adds costs, but this is not a building that was designed for HVAC, and we do have problems sometime," Kuhns said. "I still think it's a good idea to be able to vent each floor."

Additionally, Effingham County Engineer Greg Koester said he's been working in the building for years and several times he has also noticed issues with the building's HVAC system.

"I would agree with the sheriff," Koester said. "I came in yesterday to work and my office was over 85 degrees. To be able to open up my windows is a big deal to me."

It would cost approximately $16,800 to install four windows on the second, third and fourth floor of the building in addition to the overall project cost of $600,821, according to Meadows.

"I just don't see that $16,000 should stand in the way of giving people that option," Soltwedel said.

Also prior to the board's vote, both Ellis and fellow board member Jeremy Deters clarified that the project is only meant to help the county offset it's utility costs, not impact utility rates for residents.

"We are not selling anything back," Deters said. "This is just going to reduce the amount of electricity we pull off the grid."

"We're just offsetting 20-30% of our own power by using this," Ellis said.

Once the solar system is installed, the county will be eligible for some state and federal solar energy incentives, and through these incentives, Centrica predicts that the county will save approximately $160,000 on the total project cost.

If the county is unable to secure the incentives needed to offset the cost of the project, Centrica will scrap the project at no cost to the county.

Meadows said the construction phase of the project is expected to last between six and eight weeks, and the project could be completed as soon as this summer.

Also during the meeting, the board:

—Approved the reallocation of $40,359 in earmarked county American Rescue Plan Act funds from the Effingham County Child Care Committee to CEFS to help it cover the cost of a new outdoor playground.

—Approved a boundary amendment to the Effingham/Effingham County Enterprise Zone that annexes Prairie Ace Estates into the Enterprise Zone.

—Approved the disbursement of $10,000 to Effingham County Public Transportation to promote free rides for senior, disabled and Veteran residents.

—Approved a resolution honoring Julie Reedy on her retirement after 10 years of service with the Effingham County State's Attorney Office.

—Approved $247,800 of the county's earmarked American Rescue Plan Act funds for Global Technical Systems for fire department radios.

—Approved $3,000 of the county's earmarked American Rescue Plan Act funds for the purchase of tablets for county board members.

—Approved $5,000 of the county's hotel/motel funds for the Effingham County Fair.

—Approved $11,370 of the county's earmarked American Rescue Plan Act funds for the Effingham Highway Department for TREC Trail maintenance.

—Approved the release of $8,953 in county funds earmarked for the Effingham Farm Bureau back into the county's American Rescue Plan Act fund.

—Approved a damage assessment agreement with the approval of legal counsel for both the city of Effingham and Effingham County for the Effingham County Dive Rescue Team to act as a damage assessment team in the event of a disaster.

—Approved the resignation of Billy Genaust from the Effingham County Housing Authority Commission.

—Approved the downsizing of the Effingham County Housing Authority Commission to five members.

—Approved the Watson Township and Road and Bridge District Joint Decennial Committee Report.

—Approved a final plat for the fourth addition of Stoneridge Subdivision.

—Approved a final plat for Obert/Rentfrow Subdivision.

—Authorized Effingham County Board Chairman Josh Douthit to respond on behalf of the county for a risk control report.

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.