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Tunkhannock Area School District’s proposed solar power initiative is still active, with revised plans for one project submitted and another project revision planned for later this year.
At the Jan. 21 meeting of the Wyoming County Planning Commission, the school district accepted the commission’s denial of a land development plan for a solar project at the district’s campus in Mehoopany Twp. The facility is often referred to as the HANDS school, but district Superintendent Paul Dougherty noted there are three lease-holders at the site.
The commission denied the land development plan — which included installation of an array of solar panels — on the recommendation of the county planning office staff, led by Planning Director Matthew Jones.
At previous meetings, Jones expressed concerns about fire safety and potential lack of access for emergency vehicles if the solar panels were to catch fire. He noted that when a wing of the school building was heavily damaged by fire in 2002, access for firefighting equipment was a problem.
The planning commission previously granted two extensions for project developers to revise the plan to address the issues Jones raised. At the Jan. 21 meeting, project engineer Benjamin Clemmer said the project team preferred to put together a new land development plan rather than request another extension.
“We feel that’s appropriate,” Clemmer said. “We knew the deadlines. … Rather than request a time extension we want to be respectful of the process.”
Accepting the denial of the original land development plan will “give us time to put together a plan that is ready to go,” Clemmer said.
Also at the meeting, the planning commission accepted the submission of a revised land development plan for a proposed solar panel project at Tunkhannock Area High School, in Tunkhannock Twp.
The commission rejected the original project plan in June, after the discovery of two sewer line no-build easements in the area proposed for construction at the site. That meant the plan was not in compliance with the county’s subdivision and land development ordinance.
The acceptance of the revised plan for the high school project started the 90-day clock ticking on the review process, after which the commission will accept or reject the plan, Jones said.
A third proposed solar project in the district, at Tunkhannock Primary Center, received conditional approval from the planning commission in July.
At the Jan. 15 meeting of the Tunkhannock Area School Board, Dougherty said a feasibility study regarding the district’s solar initiative is ongoing.
Dougherty told board members he could not recommend the direct purchase option for the project, which had been estimated at about $10 million. He said he was concerned the district might not receive $4.5 million in federal solar tax credits, even if it qualified for the credits.
Dougherty presented a comparison of a potential lease-to-own option with the direct purchase option. If the district were to choose a lease-to-own option, it would not receive a $1.2 million state grant that is dependent on full ownership, he said.
The school board took no action and the district will continue to explore its options, Dougherty said.
“It’s a massive project and a massive decision,” he said.
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