Cheshire committee approves limited solar arrays for new schools, asks staff to study ground‑mounted alternatives

The Town of Cheshire committee overseeing the school construction project voted Thursday to approve solar arrays on flat roofs and on portions of peaked roofs that will not be visible from the primary public streets at the new Barnum and Norton elementary schools, and directed staff to develop alternative ground‑mounted options rather than proceed with solar carports.

The votes followed a presentation from Aaron of Johnson Controls, who summarized the fast‑track portion of an energy performance contract and financing bids. Aaron said the project team sought roughly $24 million in financing to cover energy upgrades including solar; Bank of America bid at about 4 percent on that financing. “The rough savings per year from those solar arrays by not buying electricity is $135,000 per year,” Aaron said during the presentation. “So in roughly 6 years, the savings would pay back the net cost of those solar arrays.”

Committee members said they supported generating energy savings but were concerned about visibility and the effect on the schools’ architectural appearance. After discussion, the committee voted to allow panels on the schools’ flat roof areas and on peaked roof sections that are not visible from Jarvis Street, Marion Avenue (Barnum) or North Brookdale Road (Norton). Members also said they did not support solar carports in the primary, visible parking areas and asked staff and the design team to identify screened ground‑mounted locations and present cost and production comparisons at the next meeting.

Why this matters: Johnson Controls told the committee that a typical complete array at each new school is roughly a $2 million project before incentives; the team estimates about 62 percent in reimbursements and tax incentives (roughly 50 percent from the school construction grant plus about 12 percent from tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act), lowering the net upfront cost. The committee’s direction preserves those incentive opportunities while prioritizing visual impact and neighborhood views.

Details from the presentation and discussion

- Scope and financing: The energy performance contract includes solar at six school buildings and a fuel cell at Cheshire High School, with $24 million of financing proposed in the fast‑track portion. The bidder from Bank of America came in at roughly 4 percent for that financing, according to Johnson Controls.

- Incentives and payback: Johnson Controls estimated a school‑array gross cost of about $2 million, with about 62 percent reimbursable through school construction grant funding and tax credits, producing an estimated annual electricity cost reduction of $135,000 and an approximate six‑year payback on the net cost.

- Carports vs. ground mounts vs. roof arrays: The team presented a carport option for Barnum that would produce higher rate/value under the state incentive carve‑out (presenter figures showed ~26¢/kWh equivalency for a carport versus ~18.86¢/kWh for a ground mount). Committee members said carports would be more visible at some sites and repeatedly raised aesthetic concerns for the peaked roof sections that face Marion and Jarvis.

- Committee direction: For Barnum, the committee approved solar on flat roofs and portions of peaked roofs that are not street‑facing and asked the project team to identify screened ground‑mount alternatives in the north field areas; for Norton, the committee approved panels on elevated flat roofs and peak roofs that do not face North Brookdale Road, excluding the front third of the central spine roof to preserve that façade. The committee explicitly said it does not support carports in the primary front parking areas as presented, and requested cost/production comparisons for alternative locations and layouts before final buy decisions.

What the committee asked next

- Staff and the design/energy team will return with: (1) a comparison of production and incentives for carport vs. ground mount vs. roof arrays; (2) mapped, screened ground‑mount alternatives that avoid wetland setbacks and classroom views; (3) an updated certified energy audit showing the effect of removing or relocating arrays on available funds for other deferred‑maintenance items in the 20‑year financing plan.

Who spoke (selected)

- Aaron (Johnson Controls), business — first referenced 00:06:54 — presented the financing and solar payback figures and walked the committee through roof/carport/ground tradeoffs. - Andrew (assistant town manager), government — first referenced 00:00:39 — forwarded staff requests about irrigation and other site issues and introduced the energy presentation. - Jody (principal, school staff), government — first referenced 01:31:10 — spoke in support of making pragmatic choices that balance aesthetics and utility for students. - Committee members (multiple) — several members including Chuck Neff, Dennis Friu and Greg Rosenblatt discussed visibility concerns and voted on the motions.

Authorities cited (as referenced in the presentation)

- School construction grant (referenced by Johnson Controls in relation to reimbursement for solar arrays). - Inflation Reduction Act (referenced by Johnson Controls as a source of federal tax credits influencing the economics of arrays). - ANREST program (referenced by the presenter as a state renewable carve‑out program that affected timing and eligibility).

Decisions and formal actions recorded

- Motion: Approve solar panels on flat roof areas and on portions of peaked roofs that do not face Jarvis Street or Marion Avenue at Barnum Elementary School. Outcome: approved (unanimous). (committee direction: staff to bring ground‑mount alternatives) - Motion: Approve solar panels on elevated flat roofs and on peak roofs at Norton Elementary School that do not face North Brookdale Road, excluding the front third of the central spine roof. Outcome: approved (unanimous). - Direction: Committee expressed no support for large solar carports in the school fronts as presented; asked staff to identify screened ground‑mount locations and return with cost/production comparisons. (staff direction, not a binding prohibition)

Provenance (selected transcript excerpts)

- topicintro: block_id:"690.7", local_start:0, local_end:312, evidence_excerpt:"Energy conservation plan. Vin, you wanna jump in? ... We went out to bid for $24,000,000 of financing, and the bids came back. And Bank of America bid at 4% on the $24,000,000 of financing..." (presentation opening and financing summary)

- topfinish: block_id:"4619.21", local_start:0, local_end:128, evidence_excerpt:"All those in favor? Anyone opposed? Okay. Unanimous. Well, you'll have to come back to us and let us know what this did now to the energy program..." (closing vote and staff direction to return with options)

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