Tunkhannock Area SD committee recommends three-month pause on proposed district solar project amid federal tax-credit uncertainty

At a committee meeting, Tunkhannock Area School District officials recommended pausing a final decision on a proposed districtwide solar project for three months while federal tax-credit policy remains uncertain.

Superintendent Paul Doherty said the district has about $1.2 million in state grant awards and has been pursuing a multi-site solar installation for more than two years, but the "unknown around the federal credit is what really concerns me at this point." He told the committee the district is seeking direction from the board before committing capital or executing long-term contracts.

The discussion centered on project scope, financing scenarios and timing. The district applied for five project grants through the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Financing Authority; the grant awards presented at the meeting were: Primary Center $300,000, Intermediate Center $300,000, Mahoopany $133,605, High School $300,000 and District Office $142,289 (totaling about $1.2 million). Cost estimates for the full program ranged in the discussion from roughly $10 million to $13 million, with other independent reviews cited as high as about $23.4 million depending on market conditions and timing.

Doherty and outside advisers outlined projected financing outcomes if the federal direct-pay tax credits were not available. The district's financial adviser modeled a roughly $770,000 annual…