Federal dollars sought for school solar project
BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

MARLBORO — Having submitted an application to receive clean renewable energy bonds (CREBs), officials in the Marlboro K-8 School District will have to wait until November or December before learning whether the application will provide funds.

District administrators have been looking into the feasibility of installing solar panels on the roofs of two schools — the Marlboro Middle School on Route 520 and the Marlboro Memorial Middle School on Nolan Road. Those schools were selected because they have the largest roof space of the district's eight schools.

Business Administrator Cindy Barr- Rague gave Board of Education members an update on the process during their Aug. 18 meeting.

With the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, an increase to 2.4 billion CREBs was provided for, according to the CREBs Internet website.

Barr-Rague said the district's application was submitted in the hope of obtaining funding from the federal government for the possible solar project. She said if the school district receives the CREBs, the solar project would be able to be paid for in seven years instead of in nine years.

After administrators have learned whether Marlboro may be awarded CREBs, the board will have to make a decision as to whether to pursue the solar panels. Barr- Rague told board members the district's financial advisers for the solar project will meet with them to discuss the situation.

The business administrator noted that there is still the possibility of the system costing the district nothing as a result of credits and receiving payments back from the sale of solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs).

The SRECs are a commodity based on the amount of energy generated by the system.

Barr-Rague said that after all of the information is provided to the board members and if they want to move forward with the solar project, a question on the matter could be added to the school budget vote in April 2010 so that the public may weigh in on the issue.

"We would have to sell the bonds in order to finance this, but the payment of it will come from the sale of the SRECs, etc. So we wouldn't be paying any district dollars," Barr-Rague said.

Board Vice President Terry Spilken asked what the best time frame was for installing the solar panels on the two middle schools should the matter move forward.

Barr-Rague said if voters approve the question in April 2010 the solar panels could possibly be installed during the summer of 2010.

Spilken sought to ensure that if the installation of the solar panels was to take place during the school year, that students would not be disrupted by noise associated with the project.

Barr-Rague said it was her understanding that the installation of solar panels would not disrupt the students since the work would be taking place on the roof and not in the classrooms.

Board member Michael Lilonsky said he has been in the vicinity of solar panels being installed and said there was no excessive noise pollution.

The board expects to hear more information about the possible solar project later this year when information regarding the CREBs is available.

Contact Rebecca Morton at Marlboro@gmnews.com.