Published 1:00 pm Tuesday, August 11, 2026
By Ryland Bickley
Installation began Monday on the final piece of Phoenix’s Government and Public Safety Center project: a 257-photovoltaic module roof solar panel installation the city estimates will power 99% of the building.
Ashland-based True South Solar is installing the panels and is expected to finish by the first week of September. The project should be fully functional by early October at the latest.
“I think it gave us an opportunity to be the leader in solar energy to provide electricity,” Phoenix City Manager Eric Swanson told the Rogue Valley Times on Thursday. “It’s something to inspire the rest of the community to look at this option as they move forward with whatever (it is): business, commercial, industrial.”
The total cost for the solar project was $386,098, but after a $112,829 federal tax credit and $10,000 rebate, the net cost came to $263,269, according to Phoenix Community Development Director Zac Moody.
The project was paid for through a mix of “local, public and private funds,” including Oregon Lottery and Business Oregon dollars, according to an informational sign by city hall. Swanson added that Energy Trust of Oregon helped the city receive grants for the project, while also helping choose cost-saving efficient lighting for the building.
According to the city, the installation is projected to save $727,395 in utility costs over the next 25 years, using around 48,925 kilowatt-hours of energy purchased from Pacific Power over that span instead of around 4.6 million.
Moody told the Times via email that the project should offset its cost after 11.7 years, and offset the energy used for its production and installation after six to 18 months.
“Installation of this system will be the equivalent to eliminating 300,166 vehicle miles (per year),” he wrote.
The center, located on 112 W. 2nd St., cost around $20 million in total. The 24,000-square-foot building officially opened in May of 2024, putting the city’s administration, fire station and police department under one roof after the 2020 Almeda Fire destroyed Jackson County Fire District 5’s Station 3 in Phoenix.
“I think (it) will help with the taxpayer,” Swanson said. “It will reduce the cost tremendously to run the building. … We got people that work here: fire, police, city hall folks, and it’s kind of a center for the city of Phoenix. And I think it’s really going to function even better once we get the solar going.”
He said the building has been able to house additional wildland firefighters this summer amid an influx in blazes in the county, an intentional part of the center’s design.
Moody said the 580-watt panels, which were made in the United States, have a lifetime of “minimum” 25 years.
The city estimates the installation will eliminate around 3.6 million of the building’s estimated 3.9 million-pound CO2 output over the next 25 years.
Swanson added the city plans to install a screen that will show how much power the installation generates to give the public a “real-time reflection” of the project’s impact.
“The site itself is very well-suited for this project,” he said, “and I think to be able to be net zero with all the activity that goes on in this building is going to be a positive thing.”
Ryland Bickley is a 2026 Snowden intern for the Rogue Valley Times. Reach him at 458-488-2040 or ryland.bickley@rv-times.com.

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