Solar Panels at City Hall on Spotlight on Wednesday

ROME, NY – The Common Council could get in on the trend toward going green Wednesday by giving the go-ahead on a grant application to fund solar panels at City Hall.

The council’s agenda for its meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall includes a grant application for funds from the New York State Energy Research and DeveROME—The Common Council could get in on the trend toward going green Wednesday by giving the go-ahead on a grant application to fund solar panels at City Hall. The Department of Public Works is applying for a program that would allow the city to install panels totaling 24 kilowatts at City Hall. NYSERDA would pay for $120,000 of the $160,000 project, and the city would seek to offset the remainder of the cost with additional federal grants. The estimated annual energy savings for the city is $3,500.

At 6 p.m. before the meeting, members of the council will have a work session with Jeremiah Schmidt from Solar Liberty and DPW Commissioner Frank D. Tallarino Jr. regarding utility cost savings from the project.

The application is one of three environmentally-friendly plans the city is submitting this month to the state. City Hall has announced that it is applying for two $300,000 grants. The first is for solar panel installation at Kennedy Arena. Another is for a program focusing on tree cover and paving downtown.

The Rome Sentinel
By Steve Jones