Lockport Township HSD 205 approves option to lease land for community solar project

The Lockport Township High School District 205 Board of Education voted to enter an option-to-lease agreement with Forefront Power, authorizing the company to begin the due-diligence and development steps needed to pursue a community solar project on district-owned land along Cedar Road.

Julia Henry of Forefront Power told the board that the proposal is an option to lease — not a construction or operations approval — and outlined two revenue streams the district could see: a land-lease payment Forefront estimated at $3,000 per acre (escalating 2% annually) and on-bill electricity credits that would reduce the district’s ComEd bill by an estimated 15%. Henry said the combined district-related revenue is currently estimated at about $7.2 million over 30 years and that the company expects to pay roughly $40,000 a year in property taxes to the county once the project is operational. She added the option period would include technical studies on interconnection and permitting and that Forefront would own and operate the array if the project proceeds.

Board members pressed Forefront on known risks. Henry identified interconnection upgrades and permitting as the primary uncertainties; she said Forefront’s current information suggests limited additional interconnection costs, but that those costs would be clarified during the optioned due-diligence period. On environmental and land-management questions, Forefront said it typically installs native, pollinator-friendly grasses under panels and posts a decommissioning bond to protect future land restoration.

During discussion, one board member sought and received a clarification that the motion before the body was only to accept the option to lease and to allow Forefront to conduct due diligence, not to approve construction. The board then approved the option-to-lease agreement on a roll-call vote.

Julia Henry said the timeline Forefront expects — assuming the board approves the option and due diligence goes as planned — is due diligence through December 2025 and a potential operational date by December 2026. Henry noted the company would pay the district $5,000 during the option year as a nominal option payment while studies proceed.

The board’s vote opens a formal option period for Forefront to pursue interconnection studies, permitting details and more precise project economics. If those items clear, the district and Forefront would return for a lease (and other approvals) before any construction begins.

The board recorded the action as approval of an option to lease from Forefront Power. The board also approved related consent-agenda items and construction-management contracts at the same meeting. The board adjourned after a series of other routine approvals and announcements.