Could Windom Area Schools be powered by solar panels in the future?
That’s a possibility that Superintendent Wayne Wormstadt shared with the Windom School Board during Monday’s work session at the Windom City Hall council chambers.
However, proceeding with such a project would be contingent upon a couple of things. First, that the school would receive an $8 million grant from the state of Minnesota. The grant is available to school districts outside Excel’s service area.
Second, the only way that the solar panels would make sense for the school district is if the up-front costs of equipment and installation are paid for with grant dollars and company dollars.
“They maintain, take care of it and warranty it for those first 10 years,” Wormstadt told the board. “If you want to continue to use it, then you present an additional contract. They get their costs reimbursed with a margin of profit — they are a private company — and after that point it’s ours.”
For more on Monday’s Windom School Board workshop, see the story in the Oct. 27 issue of the Cottonwood County Citizen on newsstands now.
