Lawrence Township trustees hear pitch for a solar farm on Northwest Schools property

LAWRENCE TWP. − A Northwest Local Schools property is being considered as a solar farm site.

Township trustees heard a pitch Monday night from Doug Smith, technical director for BJAAM Solar Partners LLC, which is eyeing a potential solar farm on school property north of the school campus off Erie Avenue NW.

According to Smith, the plan includes 42 solar tracking systems to be erected on a 400 foot-by-1,500-foot section of school property behind the football stadium. The solar units would be a maximum of 50 feet high with a pivot point for the panels at 20 feet, tall enough for the land underneath to be farmed.

The total cost for the project is $4.4 million, said Smith, with $1.3 million covered by federal funds. Additional funds could be available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Smith said that the solar panels would generate 2.5 megawatts of electricity per month and would exceed the schools’ monthly usage, so some of the electricity could be sold back to the power grid. A solar farm would significantly reduce the district’s monthly electric bill of $25,000, he added.

Smith estimated that the district would save millions in electricity costs over the 25-year life of the panel system.

Township attorney James Mathews commented that the solar panels do not meet current rules in the township’s zoning ordinance. Zoning Inspector Frank Melito added that the Zoning Commission had approved roof-mounted solar panels last year and had discussed allowing solar systems no higher than 16 feet to 18 feet. Melito said that the Zoning Commission would need to further discuss the height but noted that he did not think they would go higher.

Northwest Schools purchased the 113.5 acre property from Robert MacGregor and the family trust for $875,000 in last fall using funds from the Nexus gas transmission pipeline tax settlement.

At that time, the school board was uncertain as to what it would use the property for but was prioritizing an additional entrance/exit from the school campus for safety reasons, especially if the schools had to be evacuated. Another consideration for use of the land is additional parking.

Northwest superintendent addresses solar farm question

In a telephone call after the township trustees meeting, Northwest Superintendent Shawn Braman said that those two uses remain the district’s main focus, adding a solar farm is farther down the list of priorities.

He emphasized that Smith was not speaking at the trustees’ meeting on behalf of the school district and that school officials have spoken with several solar panel companies. He said Smith’s presentation was done without his knowledge and is premature.

Braman said that discussion of a solar farm would not be on the agenda for the regular school board meeting to be held 7 p.m. Sept. 25 in the high school media room.

Lawrence Township levies

In other township business, Board Chairman Keith Blowers presented information on the township’s budget and the need for voters to pass five levies on the November ballot. They include a new 1.65-mill road levy that will raise $416,859 a year. It would replace a levy that is no longer being collected, which has resulted in a loss of $205,732 from 2021 to 2022 and no township roads being resurfaced over the past two years.

Another road levy is a 1-mill replacement levy that would raise $252,641 a year. Two replacement fire levies are also on the ballot: a 0.5-mill levy that would raise $126,329 and another for 1-mill proposal that would raise $252,641 annually.

A replacement 1.5-mill police levy would raise $378,961 a year. All the levies are for five years. If all the levies pass, homeowners will pay an additional $87.24 a year or $7.26 a month in property taxes for each $100,000 of their home valuation.

Trustees will meet again at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 2 at the township administration building.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Lawrence Twp. trustees listen to pitch for solar farm