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Columbia County authorizes application for Oregon renewable-energy grant to add courthouse backup power
Summary
The board approved submission of a renewable-energy reimbursement grant (Oregon Department of Energy) to fund solar panels and backup batteries that would provide critical emergency lighting and partial power to the courthouse and annex; staff were authorized to sign and Riley Baker was designated as the county’s representative.
Columbia County staff told the Board of Commissioners they intend to apply for an Oregon Department of Energy reimbursement grant to install solar panels and battery backup systems for critical courthouse and annex functions.
County staff said the program is similar to a prior award and would be a reimbursement grant with approximately $1 million available for eligible projects. The grant would not fully power both buildings but would provide emergency lighting, prioritized circuit backup (for areas such as IT servers, public-health refrigeration and critical hallways) and resilience during outages. A staff memo accompanying the request indicated a short application turnaround; staff said they could reuse material from an earlier application to meet the deadline.
The board approved a letter to accompany the grant application and designated Riley Baker (county staff) as the authorized representative to sign and coordinate the application. Staff said the PUD had reviewed the project and indicated support.
No final contract award was received at the meeting; staff said they will return with final quotes and a procurement plan if the county is selected for reimbursement funding.
