Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solar Energy Procurement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council agrees to pursue Red Lion solar canopies, sends contract to legal review
Summary
After reviewing two vendor approaches, the council voted to proceed with contract review and negotiation with Red Lion for a solar power purchase agreement featuring elevated canopies; the council stressed timing to meet incentive deadlines and asked legal review before execution.
Council members agreed to move forward with Red Lion’s proposal for municipal solar canopies and directed staff to send a draft contract to legal for review.
A committee member (Speaker 3) said the committee had evaluated options and recommended Red Lion, which proposed elevated canopy-mounted solar that can serve as covered parking. "I engaged with another company called Red Lion," the committee member said, describing canopy examples and the advantage of avoiding rooftop replacements. Red Lion representative Terry (Speaker 10), on the phone, invited council members to visit demonstration sites in Perry and described similar installations elsewhere.
The committee discussed procurement details and the June timing tied to incentive eligibility: Speaker 3 warned the council that "we're bumping up against a June deadline" for PPA incentives. Council members raised operational questions about snow removal, canopy placement, maintenance, and options to purchase equipment later in stages.
After discussion, a motion to move forward with Red Lion and send a contract to legal review was made and seconded; the council approved the motion by voice vote. Staff said Red Lion will provide a contract and representatives will be available to meet with council or committees ahead of the May 26 meeting for further review. No financial outlay by the city was required at this step; the proposed PPA model has the vendor owning panels and selling power to the city at a reduced rate under contract.
