Okay.

Good evening.

This is the uh December 2nd meeting of the Stanford Planning Board.

Um first on our agenda is the planning board minutes from uh November 18th regular meeting.

Um there any um amendments or clarifications to the minutes of November 18th.

Um and again present were um myself, uh Rabbi, um who's absent, uh Bill Levin and Chet.

Yeah, um I just I just noticed one thing.

Uh and I wanted to try to locate it again so I can point it out.

Um I mean didn't it's with the one item on the agenda that was denied.

Let me find it again.

Forgive me for the delay.

Oh, it's all right.

Uh here it is, yes.

Um with with regard to um zoning board referrals item number one, the uh the high ridge property in the final paragraph it says um Mr.

Leckman, uh Mr.

Levin recommended denial of ZB application um because it is the opinion of the board that this request is not in general harmony.

At that point it was not the opinion of the board.

So I I think that's actually misstated.

Um it's not the opinion of the board until the board votes.

Sure.

All right.

So motion is not is never an opinion of a board, it's an opinion of an individual.

Right.

So the amendment is just the uh and said Mr.

Levin recommended denial um because this request is not in general harmony.

So taking out the it is the opinion of the board that's correct.

Okay.

All right.

Um any other amendments or clarifications.

No.

Um all right, so hearing none, um, can I have a motion for the minutes?

Um chat move approval with the um amendment requested.

Uh do I have a scent?

Um and I guess Bill and Jeremy, you'll have to use your hand raise.

So Jeremy was absent, so he can't vote on the right, correct.

And I'm trying to figure out if Bill can do anything on his computer.

Let me give me a let me give him a call.

He may be able to chat to you.

No, chat's turned off.

Oh, gotcha.

All right.

Um as we troubleshoot, um, just wanted to make sure Chet, did you receive the um revised attachment for the um capital budget?

Um you say the revised attachment.

Um I received um one from you.

Okay, I sent one this morning and then I resent it because you weren't sure if you had received it.

Okay, I did not receive the first one, but I did receive the second one.

Okay, great.

Can we come back to this item, Jennifer?

Yeah, I was I was gonna say we can um yeah.

Uh so um chat, I guess if you want to table the minutes, because there's a motion.

All right, um I'll withdraw my current motion and move that we table it until we have um the appropriate quorum available.

Okay.

Um our next item then we have a series of um requests or authorization for a supplemental capital project appropriation requests.

Um it I think it may make the most sense for me to read the first two into the record together.

Um so the first is Strawberry Hill Solar Panel Project, uh CP4000, total amount requested 150,000.

Uh funds will be utilized to complete the photovoltaic installation state project uh 135-uh 0292 PV.

Construction is scheduled to mobilize in June of 2026.

This funding request is for construction administration services and construction contingency for potential unforeseen issues that may occur during construction.

And the request includes $78,400 to proceed with alternate one for a standalone solar tracking system component contributing to sustainable education goals.

Um the second item is West Over Solar Panel Project CP40056, total amount requested 335,000 uh same scope of work uh but with the um project number 135-02 uh 93 and that this request includes 125,000 to proceed with the alternate one option.

Um so uh if you want to go ahead and introduce yourself for the record and and tell us more about these appropriation requests.

Uh good evening.

Um my name is Katherine Mobalbo.

I'm the director of school construction.

I am here with uh Brandon Mark, our certified energy manager uh in city engineering.

Um these projects uh I'm glad that they were introduced together, have kind of run their course concurrently.

They were authorized originally in 2024.

Um at that time they had been accepted for a NRES and to the NRES incentive program, um, which I'm gonna let Brandon talk about just briefly if that's all right.

Brandon, maybe you could just briefly describe the NRES program for us.

Yeah, uh so the NRES is just the mechanism for which we generate revenue from the solar systems.

Um so ever source will pay us a fee per kilowatt hour generated, um, and we are delivering that electricity directly to the grid.

So it's a front of the meter system.

So in addition to that payback, uh in February of 2025, after we've received the initial authorization, we went for a state of connecticut grant uh with 60 percent reimbursement.

So um we were awarded a grant for each one of these projects uh with our 60 percent reimbursement.

We are also going to see if we can seek the ITC credits.

Um we went through a it's it's a pretty rigorous process with the state.

Oh, my God.

I think I can talk now.

Yes, you can sorry, you can sorry, you're unmuted yourself.

So uh you might want to change.

I think it's Lindsay talking to Bill.

Yep.

Okay, no worries.

Um so uh we first we uh went to the building committee and then had a state of Connecticut review, went out to bid to uh onboard a partner who will do final designs, um, but also will be uh installing the project.

Um we realize we're going to need a little bit more for us to uh to continue uh into construction.

We want to have that contingency with us so we don't face any unnecessary delays.

We're also looking to bring on some additional professional services um with additional specialty in solar systems.

We will return to the building committee and the state of Connecticut before this project commences construction.

Um and we are going to uh with this authorization, we're going to go back and seek an adjustment to the grant amount um from the state of Connecticut.

Um I do have a very small slide deck that I just like to show uh in regards to the alternate.

Sure.

And I can obviously share this also with the board after after the program as well.

Uh the alternate itself is what's called a solar flower.

Uh hopefully you can see it on my screen here.

Uh it often has a panel that students can use and really engage uh with what um this PV energy is actually bringing to their building.

Obviously, the PV is going to be on the roof.

We won't be bringing students to the roof.

Um, but this makes it uh accessible to them.

Um we talked about having initially in the building committee studies, we also did uh talk a little bit about would it be on a platform?

Would it possibly have some fencing around it?

You can see here there's plantings around it.

So those items still need to be finalized.

Um we did have a very quick rendering done, but here you can see it's not on a podium.

This is just a rendering.

It's it's not fully flushed design.

So this is what the what the alternate is technically is is seeking, so that you kind of know what that what that actually is.

And then uh Brandon was kind enough to do some quick math on uh the showing again that these continue to be net positive.

Their payback is expected for Westover in just under six years and slightly over six years, about six and a half years for strawberry elementary school.

I did see one hand go up.

Um I see chat.

Yeah.

Uh thank you, Catherine and and Brandon.

Uh quick question.

Um, according to the NRES, um, are we selling back to Eversource just the excess uh capacity that our system generates beyond what the building consumes, or are we set selling it all back a hundred percent?

We'll be selling it all back.

Uh that's a great question, Chet.

So this is going to be a front of the meter system.

Uh so that way none of it's tied to the actual um electrical service of the the buildings.

Um it's a much easier install um and it's a lot easier to kind of predict our return on investment uh because we'll be um selling all back to the to the grid instead of just kind of counting on the excess.

But but um how how long will we be selling it back?

Uh for a period of 20 years.

After which um when the system is is likely still gonna be in service after 20 years, um, we can take ownership of the renewable energy certificates um and either you know hold on to those um or sell them on the uh rec market.

Okay, so your analysis has concluded that this the sale back of all of the energy that it will generate will more than compensate us for our the cost of our own consumption.

Um so it's not gonna cover the entire 100% of uh what the building consumes.

Um I don't have it right in front of me, but I could certainly share what after.

Um it it's a sizable portion of the total energy consumption.

Um I want to say maybe around you know 60% for Strawberry Hill and slightly higher for Westover, but I can get you those exact numbers um as a follow-up.

Okay.

I know I I had to make the similar analysis for my own solar on my home.

Um and I, you know, my my own analysis suggested that um selling back only the difference beyond what it covers on my consumption.

Um basically was the best return on the investment.

So I'm wondering.

Yeah, um, so for uh commercial or like kind of municipal projects, it's usually the more favorable approach to do the um direct to the grid or as it's called in the NRES buy-all.

Um just given the the size of the system, the cost of it.

Um it it just is a lot it gives a little bit um uh more certainty in terms of being able to predict the ROI.

Uh with the house, it's it's a a lot different in terms of like your total generation, um, and then also use hours come into play.

Um so netting is is a little bit more favorable on that front.

Okay.

So we'll never um we'll never get to a point then where the district's energy consumption cost can be reduced by solar.

Uh in the I wouldn't I wouldn't say that.

Um I I think with these two projects, we try to maximize the total amount of usable roof space to put solar on.

Um, but that's not the only way we can kind of even things out.

Like we're always actively trying to be more energy efficient with our buildings.

Um, so the amount of energy we're just consuming regardless of the generation on site.

If we can get that lower, we can kind of even out and and try to achieve more of a net zero.

But with existing buildings, it's definitely a lot trickier to do that.

Um, but that's something we're certainly pursuing with our new construction buildings.

Okay.

Um so I and I wasn't even talking about a net zero building.

So um yeah, no, just in terms of like canceling out the like the electric usage.

Um, it's just nice to highlight that.

These are a little bit um beta projects for us to be fair.

Uh these are the first two solars.

We have some very small solar at uh I think it's Ripple WAM, and there actually are a few PVs that but these were kind of beta projects, and we wanted to, you know, to get them through and uh with success, you know.

Again, without running into some other complexities, especially on the electrical side with existing older buildings like Westover.

Um and while Strawberry Hill is is a newer product, again, it we wanted to kind of draw um draw down the variables that we might run into.

But unfortunately, in the process if my if my quick glance at your roof plan was accurate, there will be no more capacity on the roof, the conventional location for solar panels um for our own use.

For for Westover, I would I would say that that's that's pretty accurate, at least roof space-wise.

Strawberry Hill, there's there's probably a little bit more opportunity for future addition.

Um, but then there's other mechanisms we could do, like we're slowly starting to investigate car ports uh for parking lots, and um, so that that's there's other means of of adding solar to the site um that we're certainly thinking about.

Okay.

Thank you very much for the those answers.

And my last question, though, I'm sorry to monopolize.

Um back in 2024, when you sought funding for this project, what was the anticipated total project budget at the time that would be what's in the was the original request?

So it was for uh Westover, it would be less than 335,000 that's in the request today.

And for um, I don't have the capital sheet right in front of the yeah for Strawberry Hill.

So it is that original number that you're seeing there.

Okay, so the uh the uh capital sheet uh for Strawberry Hill uh shows 461.

Correct.

461, yeah.

So then um what would you say was so uh we need a hundred and so four 461 at the time was envisioned to include construction, construction professional services, all of those things.

So uh what is the source of the escalation of 150,000 now for Strawberry Hill, just uh using that one as an example for well for Westover, it's a little more obvious.

We had to but strawberry uh I'm only asking about Strawberry Hill for the mobile.

Um, for Strawberry Hill, we are it was it was publicly bid, so it's the public bid environment.

Um we did add some additional professional resources, so I don't think we had an envisioned uh third cord party um construction administration services, and we also added uh counting services to assist with the ITC tax credit.

So I don't think we had previously envisioned those.

And then the smart flower is a size chunk of that 150,000.

Agree.

That that always fell outside of it.

So the smart flower had always fell outside of the of the original request, unfortunately.

Yeah, for sure.

For Strawberry Hill, the bids came over a little bit higher than what we had expected.

Um so that's another reason for the the ask.

Okay, thank you.

Are there any further questions from the board?

Um and Bill, were you able to hear the presentation?

Yes.

Okay, great.

Um so uh if I could have we'll have to do these as separate motions.

Um I could have a motion on the Strawberry Hill um authorization.

Okay.

Um Jeremy, was that a motion?

Yeah, oh sorry, can you hear me?

Uh it kind of just out of it, so move approval.

Yeah, I will make that motion.

Thank you.

I like I have a second for that motion.

Okay.

Uh you are muted, but I presume that to be a second for the motion from John.

I forgive me, I said I I guess I will have to unless Bill was planning on okay.

Uh well, I guess we can we'll count that as the second from Bill.

Um and all in favor.

Uh and the motion passes unanimously.

Um the next uh is the Westover Solar Panel project.

I have a motion for that item.

Uh so Jeremy move approval.

Um I have a second for the item.

Um the alert chat if you'd like to second the motion.

Oh, okay.

Okay, second from chat.

All in favor.

Um and Bill again, you can use your little hand raise there.

All right, and uh the passes unanimously.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you for the excellent questions as well.

Appreciate it.

Yeah, thank you.

I'm good at everyone.

Good night.

Thanks.

Um next, uh we have uh citywide technology replacement and upgrade.