The City of Fredonia is moving forward with building a solar farm. At their meeting last night, commissioners adopted a resolution to secure funding for the project not to exceed five million dollars. The two-megawatt solar farm has been a continuing topic of discussion for several months, and when completed will provide for some of the city's peak energy needs.
Commissioners got some hard numbers from Priority Power Management last night on quotes received over the past week, including the cost of steel, trackers for the panels, inverters, transformers and safety equipment. The total project cost is estimated at $4.4 million. The extra cost that may add up to five million includes interest and extra money for potential change orders.
Financing and project documents will be finalized in early January for the mayor's signature. The commission will take its final action on January 4th when they can pass the final ordinances authorizing the project. Once funding is received in mid-January, construction can begin. To take advantage of federal grants and labor rule savings, five percent of the project money must be spent by January 29th. If all goes according to plan, the farm can start operation in June and could save the city around $100,000 by the end of next year.
