The East Grand Forks Public School District board voted to accept and approve an RFP from Ziegler to install a solar array at the CMS campus, contingent on the district successfully obtaining Round 2 funding from the Solar for Schools grant program.

Board discussion centered on project cost, schedule and permitting. Unidentified Speaker 1 said the district received bids from about 10 companies, with roughly 13 individual bid options, and said the project shows a projected payback of roughly 3.5 to 3.7 years using a 22% loss factor recommended in state guidance: "we had 10 companies, with actually I think 13 bids," the speaker said. She also said two permits had been submitted and that she would meet with the municipal water and light department to advance permitting.

Unidentified Speaker 3 asked whether the district’s share would be about $83,000; Unidentified Speaker 1 said the final school share differs based on grant qualification and bid specifics and described the district’s payment plan: the district will put 10% down to secure the project and to meet timing required to claim federal tax incentives before year‑end. "We have to put, 10% down... it has to be before the end of the year to qualify for the federal tax piece," Unidentified Speaker 1 said.

Speakers discussed technical and operational details: Unidentified Speaker 1 said equipment warranties are expected to be about 20 years with inverter warranties around 10 years and that three inverters were included in cost estimates (about $6,000 each in the discussion). She also described an educational component that would let students use production data for classroom graphing and tracking.

The board recorded a voice vote in favor of approving the RFP as presented, with the approval noted as contingent on securing the Solar for Schools Round 2 grant and on completing required local permits and any necessary rezoning or special‑use reviews. The speaker said construction is expected next summer if permitting and funding proceed on schedule.

Votes at a glance
- Approve RFP from Ziegler for CMS solar project (contingent on Solar for Schools Round 2 grant): approved by voice vote (motion moved and seconded; "aye" recorded).
- Approve consent agenda as presented: approved by voice vote.
- Approve payment of K‑12 bills 130561–130660 totaling $202,622.21: approved by voice vote.
- Adjourn meeting: approved by voice vote.

Next steps: the project remains contingent on securing the Solar for Schools grant and on completing required permits and any rezoning or special‑use review; district staff said they will continue coordination with the municipal water and light department and report back to the board as items are finalized.