Old Forge School District officials will look into solar power for the district thanks to funding from a state grant.
The district received $400,000 through the Solar for Schools program, state Sen. Marty Flynn, D-22, Dunmore, announced this week. The money will be used to support the installation of solar energy infrastructure at the district, his office said in a news release. Flynn added it will help reduce long-term energy costs and promote sustainability in school operations.
Superintendent Christopher Gatto said the idea of putting solar panels in the district came about prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, when he, then-Superintendent Erin Keating, Ed.D., and Business Manager Brian Rinaldi met with a solar company representative that reached out to them. He said they were interested at the time, but when the pandemic occurred, the project got put on the back burner.
Gatto decided to apply for the grant after speaking with state Rep. Jim Haddock, D-118, Pittston Twp., in the fall. He said securing the funding for a project like installing solar panels makes it easier to pursue and he’s grateful to receive the funds.
“For a district our size, any dollar that we can get goes a long way,” Gatto said.
The board approved his request to apply for the grant in January.
He plans to issue a request for proposals for companies to install the panels, assess the district property and figure out what array works for the district from a financial and land-use perspective. The district had an assessment done of its buildings and property to determine the feasibility for solar energy and as part of the application process.
Officials have not determined how many panels will be installed or where they would be installed. They are figuring out their cost, what the district can afford, what the grant will cover and what money will be set aside for them.
Gatto said the decision where the panels will be installed would need to be made in consultation with the company that is awarded the bid.
“We need to assess what works best for us from the standpoint of offsetting our electricity costs and also the property and how we utilize the property and what spots we could use,” he said.
Gatto said there is potential for the district to save $2.7 million over 30 years and the project would pay for itself in approximately three years. He hopes power generated by the panels will offset as much of what the district spends on electricity as possible, allowing officials to use money normally spent for electricity on other things.
The panels can also be used from an educational standpoint. Gatto said he envisions science classes using them.
Established in July of last year, the Solar for Schools program provides grants to school districts, intermediate units, charter schools, career and technical schools, chartered schools for the education of the deaf or blind, community colleges and technology colleges to cover solar project costs, including aiding in the purchase and installation of equipment, permit fees, energy storage and utility interconnection.
The program is administered by the state Department of Community and Economic Development and funded through the Commonwealth Financing Authority.
The Hanover Area School District in Luzerne County was also awarded $400,000 to install solar panels on the roof of the high school.
Local Share Account grants
In addition to the Solar for Schools program, the Commonwealth Financing Authority also funded Local Share Account grants for multiple projects in Lackawanna County. Those projects and the amounts awarded to them are:
• Archbald American Legion Post 328, HVAC system and window replacement, $38,000.
• Ballet Theater of Scranton, new theater equipment, $42,393.
• Blakely, new vehicle for the Police Department, $65,000.
• Carbondale, new trailer-mounted sewer jet machine, $75,000
• Carbondale Little League, purchase and installation of new field lights at Russell Park, $59,375.
• Clarks Green, Municipal Building emergency generator project, $49,140.
• Clarks Summit, new patrol vehicle, $66,211.
• Connell Park, Scranton, equipment, backstop and driveway reconstruction, $30,791.
• Dickson City, commercial enforcement vehicle, $80,000.
• Dunmore School District, paving and security upgrades, $100,000.
• Eynon Sturges Volunteer Hose Company No. 3, paving and Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility improvements, $30,000.
• Glenburn Twp., compact wheel loader purchase, $106,000.
• Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, South Abington Twp., purchase and installation of a new HVAC system, $105,000.
• Hospice of the Sacred Heart, Dunmore, equipment, flooring replacement and building repairs, $50,000.
• Indo American Community of Scranton, equipment project, $51,143.
• Jessup VFW Post 5544, building renovations, $50,000.
• Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour, site improvements, $125,000.
• Lackawanna County, trail maintenance equipment project, $81,000.
• La Festa Italiana of Lackawanna County, equipment and storage project, $80,895.
• Lakeland School District, playground renovation at Mayfield Elementary School, $50,000.
• Mayfield Police Department, new vehicle, $50,000.
• Minooka Athletic Association, field updates, $19,789.
• Moosic, new Police Department vehicle, $85,781.
• Moosic Little League, lighting and field project, $121,052.
• North Scranton Little League, batting cage project, $100,000.
• Old Forge, two new police vehicles, $102,130.
• Olyphant, updates and renovations to the downtown area, $67,684.
• Scranton Cultural Center, restoration project, $74,535.
• Scranton Preparatory School, lighting project, $113,260.
• Scranton Tennis Club, Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility project, $110,000.
• South Abington Twp., police vehicle purchase, $67,000.
• Taylor Memorial Cemetery, improvements, $104,450.
• Waverly Twp. Police Department, equipment upgrades, $39,849.