Edgar says no to solar panel array

By a vote of 6-1 on Monday, the Edgar Village Board rejected a proposal to install solar panels on the roof of village hall – an investment that came with a $36,000 upfront cost but promised to save the village money on electrical bills over time.

The board had previously tabled the proposal at its July meeting after several questions were raised about the warranties on the solar equipment and its possible impact on the structural integrity of the roof.

Northwinds Solar of Arpin submitted the lowest of three bids for installing a 25.85kilowatt solar array on top of the building at 224 S. Third Ave. The total cost of the project would have been $68,970, but after rebates were applied, the cost would fall to $36,213, according to information presented to the board.

The solar panels were projected to save the village 70 percent on its electrical bills, allowing the project to pay for itself in as little as five years if a grant from the Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation was awarded.

In response to the questions raised at the July meeting, village administrator Jennifer Lopez read an email from Jordan Kaiser, an Edgar native who works as a design consultant for Northwinds Solar.

When it comes to warranties on the solar array, Kaiser said Northwinds Solar offers a five-year workmanship warranty that covers any issues caused by the installation process. The solar panels themselves have a 12-year product warranty and a 30-year performance warranty provided by the manufacturer, plus a 25-year warranty on micro-converters and 10 years on the solar array racking, he said.

“Ultimately, if there’s ever an issue with the system, Northwinds is your first call, and we will facilitate all troubleshooting services and any warranty claims,” Kaiser wrote.

Kaiser also said the equipment should not cause any undue structural pressure on the village hall roof, as the components are all lightweight and have no history of causing problems.

“It’s very rare that a roof doesn’t already have available capacity to accommodate the solar array,” he wrote. “We’ve never in 18 years had any array cause structural issues, but if desired, structural engineering can be completed.”

In regards to the expanded Redwood St. Roasters building to the west, Kaiser said the building should not cause any problems with blocking the sunlight.

Trustee Jon Streit made a motion to pass on the proposal, and it was seconded by trustee Jeremy Apfelbeck.

Trustee Cathy Schueller, the only one to vote against Streit’s motion, said she believes solar panels have the potential to save the village money.

“It’s something that a lot of people are doing now,” she said. “In Marshfield, they run whole churches with their solar panels.”

Ultimately, the rest of the board sided with Streit and Apfelbeck in voting to reject the proposal.

Tourist room approved

After adding a couple of safeguards to protect neighboring property owners, the board approved a conditional use permit for a “tourist room” at 388 W. Beech St. The commercially zoned building currently has someone living there, and the owner would like to keep the living space available for friends and family members.

The planning commission had recommended approval of the permit, on the condition that the owner, Kyle Imhoff, obtains a state permit through Marathon County and does not allow parking on the public right-of-way.

At a public hearing in July, 14 residents showed up with questions and concerns about the activities at the building. Village president Terry Lepak said many of the people who showed up mistakenly thought that Imhoff had planned to turn the garage into a rental property, but his only plan is to allow friends and relatives to stay there.

When Streit questioned whether Imhoff would be properly taxed for having a dwelling at the property, Lopez said the building will ultimately be taxed based on how it is used, not on how it is zoned, so the village assessor will take note of the living quarters.

Streit also suggested that the village board be able to review the permit on an annual basis and revoke it at any time if problems arise due to noise complaints or other issues. Those conditions were added.

Police chief Zachary Zaug said he’s not received any recent complaints regarding the property, but the language of the permit will give him leverage in the future.

Medical supply closet

David and Jean Wright spoke to the board about their plans to expand the Edgar Medical Supply Closet, which they took over at the direction of Edgar Community Church. The American Legion had been running the free loan program since the 1960s before turning it over to the church last November.

The supply closet had been operated out of a 12-by-20 foot shed, but the church is no longer involved in operating it, so the Wrights are currently running it out of their garage.

Since the church acquired the supply closet, the Wrights said their inventory has doubled due to donations from the community and the Good News Project in Wausau.

Jean said she has years of experience as a church accountant and administrative assistant, and David said he previously worked for Abby Vans, transporting people with special medical needs.

“I became familiar with the equipment required to do this,” he said. “I became familiar with the lives of the people that are bound to their medical equipment for their daily activities.”

The Edgar Medical Supply Closet has durable medical equipment that can be used by everyone from school athletes recovering from an injury to those on hospice care. The Wrights would like to establish a stand-alone 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a board of directors and a staff of volunteers, with the goal of replacing some of their outdated equipment with tax-exempt donations.

Part of their plan is to have a larger facility with heat, water and electricity, allowing them to operate with regular hours and provide space for sanitizing equipment and doing demonstrations.

“Right now, we’re looking for a long-term home in the village of Edgar, and we were told you may be able to help us with that,” Jean told the board.

The board met in closed session to discuss a lease agreement for the village-owned empty lot at 212 W. Redwood St., but no action was taken in open session.