ROCHESTER — Green and renewable energy projects are a hot topic in the province, as are high and climbing utility costs for natural gas and power.
Aspen View School Division (AVPS) trustees will have to weigh potential long-term energy savings against more immediate expenses at an upcoming meeting when administration brings back suggestions for how to proceed with roof repairs at Edwin Parr Composite School (EPC).
“The materials that were used during the construction of EPC haven’t held up,” said Amber Oko, secretary-treasurer for the division.
“Unfortunately, they need to be replaced; the good news is that’s on warranty. The bad news is the warranty doesn’t cover the removal of the solar panels.”
Administration is hoping the roof repairs can be planned for summer 2025 so as not to disrupt the tail end of the current school year. Oko said the division is working with the same contractor who installed the solar panels to determine best options for the grid, and how much each option will cost AVPS.
The price tag for removing the grid, composed of 732 panels, sits at $70,000. Estimates that include the removal and reinstallation after repairs are completed hover between $120,000 and $170,000, a cost the division plans to cover through Capital Maintenance Renewal (CMR) fund from the province.
But Oko said administration is considering alternative paths forward with the panels. One potential route for the division to pursue would be creating an on-ground solar farm, but details around space requirements, layout, and electrical installation costs are still being ironed out.
While the solar panels are unrelated to the current roof issues, Oko did note reinstalling the panels after the necessary repairs may cause new damage depending on the materials used.
“The other thing that we need to consider is the payback period,” said Oko. Over the 2023-2024 school year, EPC’s panels generated 109,644 kilowatt hours, which earned the division $6,700 in electrical rebates.
“But as the life of the panels decreases, the amount that we get every year decreases,” she added. “We have to really look at what the cost is to the division and in the long term, will it be worth it?”
In a breakdown included in the Nov. 21 board meeting agenda, Oko estimated the rebates would recoup the estimated $150,000 cost for removal and reinstallation in 22.39 years, given rebate rates stay the same.
Calculated with a 10 per cent decrease in rebates due to panels aging, the division would see their investment returned in 24.88 years.
A third option for the division is to sell the panels after removal to avoid additional reinstallation costs and recoup a portion of the initial investment. Oko said the division paid nearly $1 million for the panels and their installation before the new school opened in 2018.
“Right now, we’re gathering all that information to bring it back so that the board can make a decision,” said Oko. “At the very least, we are going to have a $70,000 cost.”
Upcoming projects
Another large project the division has slated for the 2024-25 year is the resurfacing of the parking lot at Whispering Hills Primary School (WHPS) in Cornwall. The project is slated to cost $350,000, to be covered with CMR funding, and is scheduled to be tackled this summer.
The division is also looking to spend $336,500 in Infrastructure Maintenance and Renewal funding on a number of necessary repairs and safety upgrades for schools, such as new keycard systems and replacing faulty or aging building management systems to help with insurance costs.
Other maintenance items coming due include roof repairs at Boyle, Rochester, and Vilna schools, exterior painting at Grassland School, and upgrades to the outdoor lights at Landing Trails Elementary School.
Smith School is slated to be fitted with replacement countertops — an upgrade Oko said is overdue — and sections of flooring inside the facility. $85,000 is being put towards the flooring at WHPS, and $25,000 has been allocated for a new security system at Thorhild Central School.
