The commissioners held another meeting Tuesday to follow up on a solar energy project that was first discussed with Palmer Energy Company in December. The project would benefit Auglaize Acres Nursing Home by potentially providing a portion of their energy.
The potential solar array would take up about 1 to 3.5 acres of county land north of the Acres and would be designed to alleviate some of the high energy cost that is associated with peak seasons of electricity use.
Two representatives also attended the meeting for the Wapakoneta City Electric Department. Safety-service director Chad Scott provided some input on the project on the city's end, including how utilities would be handled for the Acres.
The commissioners raised a few concerns about the project, including cost and timeframe. Thinking of the future, Commissioner Doug Spencer said one concern is what would become of the solar array if the Acres Nursing Home would ever close down. While not necessarily foreshadowing any changes, the 20-year length of the solar energy agreement is something to consider in relation to the Acres long-term future, he said.
If the county were to take the next step with the project, a $2,000 deposit would be required to include Auglaize County in the RFP for pricing.
The commissioners did not take any action but decided to wait for Palmer Energy to gather a few more bits of information to clarify certain concerns they had.
See Wednesday's paper for the full story.