Oberlin school solar power plan passes its first hurdle

OBERLIN — A pitch to use $275,000 in city funds for a nearly 25,000-square-foot solar array at the new Oberlin Elementary School was met Monday with cautious optimism. City Council didn't rush to approve the grant request, instead ushering it on to another reading May 17. The Oberlin Schools want to build two separate solar installations on North Pleasant Street. One, mounted atop the new preschool-through-fifth grade school, would generate about 12,000 kilowatt hours of power per year, according to city Sustainability Coordinator Linda Arbogast. The other, on the ground to the east of the property, would generate about 335,000 kilowatt hours. Together, they'll provide about 80 percent of the energy needed to run the new school. School district Superintendent David Hall said questions were first raised about energy efficiency about two years ago, when planning for the elementary building began. "During that process, we knew that sustainability was critical," he said, adding that the district explored other options, including geothermal power. The Board of Education hired ThenDesign Architecture to carry out its vision. Architect Brad Gellert said the solar project will be "a great feather in the cap" of the new school, which has been designed and situated on the property for maximum energy efficiency. Curriculum Director William Baylis said the solar arrays will be used to teach generations of children about responsible energy consumption and point them toward science and technology careers. "Schools have often been the catalysts for education about important life skills for our children, as long as I can remember," he said. Teachers are tasked with educating kids about health, driving and personal finance, he said, and he believes environmental stewardship fits into the picture, too. Students aren't the only ones who will be exposed to the solar panels, said Board of Education member Ken Stanley. He said everyone who attends events from basketball games to theater productions will see them. Sixty-three percent of Americans say climate change affects their own local community either some or a great deal, according to a survey released last June by the nonpartisan think tank Pew Research. Baylis, who quoted figures from a similar 2019 survey by Pew, noted that concern over climate change is also growing in the Midwest. "So people are thinking about `Wow, what we do in our everyday lives does matter with our climate,' " he said. Hall said the project was a way to look for savings, but it also reflects key goals of the city of Oberlin's Climate Action Plan. It aims to reduce carbon emissions in the community below zero by 2050 while balancing the economic and social needs of residents. "Oberlin has always led the way in sustainable initiatives in the county and also in the state," Hall said. "Our school system is a reflection of our community." The full cost of the school district's solar plan is $667,932. The city's share — which would come from Sustainable Reserve Fund money — would cover about 42 percent of the price tag. Gellert said that if Council moves quickly, the array can be completed this fall. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.