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Rondout Valley board approves investment-grade energy audit to protect $10 million in EV bus funding
Summary
After hearing safety and permitting concerns about electric-bus charging stations, the Rondout Valley board voted to authorize an investment-grade energy audit and solicit EPC proposals so the district can preserve federal grants and pursue charging infrastructure if town permitting stalls.
The Rondout Valley Central School District board on April 21 voted to solicit an investment-grade energy audit and issue a request for proposals for an energy performance contract (EPC), a step administrators said is needed to protect roughly $10 million in federal clean-bus funding and related tax credits.
Administrators told the board they have been working with First Student (the district's bus contractor) and the Town of Rochester planning board on permitting for on- or off-site charging stations but said the permitting process has proved slow. The administration said the district risks losing the EPA grant, potential charging incentives and an estimated $7 million in investment tax credit value if the charging-infrastructure work slips beyond federal deadlines.
"If we wait and do nothing, we risk potentially losing all of this federal grant money," the administration said during the presentation. The plan the board approved directs Energy Systems Group (ESG) and consultant CPL Architecture, Engineering and Planning to conduct a roughly four-month investment-grade audit to gather building-by-building data and model guaranteed energy savings that would finance upgrades and potentially on-site chargers.
Board discussion focused on two linked priorities: preserving federal and state funding tied to electric-bus deployment, and addressing local concerns about charger siting and safety. Board members and members of the public asked whether chargers would be sited on district property or in the Town of Rochester; administrators said the Town is preferred but the EPC-backed contingency would allow chargers on district property if needed.
The administration presented estimated savings and program values: a board presentation cited a $10 million EPA clean-bus award, additional combined federal funding "roughly $17 million" at stake, and a guaranteed-savings figure presented as about $650,000 per year (a 20-year projection discussed by the vendor). The administration also said first EPC payments would not be due until 2028 if the audit and contract proceed as planned.
The motion to solicit proposals for qualified energy services companies and proceed with the investment-grade audit passed following a board vote. The board and administration noted the financial advisor recommended placing a future community vote on any larger building work to secure higher building-aid reimbursement but said the immediate audit decision is time-sensitive to preserve grant eligibility.
What's next: ESG will begin data collection and the district will use the audit results to decide whether to proceed with an EPC and whether to pursue on-site charging if town permitting prevents off-site solutions.
