Talbot County board approves Magnolia Street solar array, citing $481,000 state grant and donor support
Summary
The Talbot County Board of Education approved a $492,064.22 contract for a solar array at Magnolia Street, funded primarily by a Maryland Energy Administration grant ($481,000) and supplemental donor funds; the array will be net‑metered to Easton Elementary and is projected to produce operating savings.
The Talbot County Board of Education voted to approve a contract with Sunrise Solar for the Magnolia Street solar array project, a procurement move officials say is funded mainly by a Maryland Energy Administration grant and supplemental private donations.
Facilities lead Michael Schafer told the board the district received an MEA grant for $481,000 and that a private donor is contributing additional funding, bringing the total project funding discussed in the meeting to about $531,000. The contract amount presented to the board was $492,064.22. Schafer said the array will be net‑metered to the Easton Elementary campus.
"This is a Maryland decarbonization grant," Schafer said, describing the procurement as a piggyback on an existing Wicomico County Public Schools contract that yielded a lower price. He noted the district sought to take advantage of federal tax credits and state grant opportunities to reduce local costs.
Board members asked about expected savings and project scale. Schafer said estimated net savings after five years were discussed in the contract packet and that net metering to Easton Elementary will offset electric costs there. A board member read a five‑year net savings figure from the materials during the discussion.
A motion to approve the contract was made and seconded; the board approved the Magnolia Street solar project by voice vote.
Next steps: board documents indicate procurement and contracting will proceed; staff said they will finalize the Sunrise Solar agreement and move toward installation and interconnection with Easton Utilities for net metering.
