The Salisbury Township Board of Directors held an operations and finance meeting Nov. 5. Much of the meeting was devoted to the discussion of solar panel energy use as a cost saving method for the district.

Director of Facilities Bill Brackett turned the meeting over to representatives Mark Gallick and Chris Stultz from McClure Company who proceeded to clarify information presented during last month’s presentation and provide an opportunity for board members to ask questions related to the cost saving benefits of utilizing roof top solar panels district-wide.

Gallick outlined the district’s investment in the project, McClure’s investment and the long-term savings over time using McClure’s Power Purchasing Agreement which utilizes a fixed escalation rate of 2% per year. He provided projected costs to retrofit LED lighting in the high school, elementary school and administration buildings and the savings realized over a 20-year period.

He reviewed the concept of net metering which is a way of sharing excess energy produced in one building between buildings situated within a two mile area such as Salisbury High School, Salisbury Elementary School and the administration building. The middle school, which is too far away for net metering, is already able to produce energy efficiently due to previous lighting upgrades.

Questions were raised concerning future roof replacements at both the high school and the elementary school starting in 2034. According to Gallick and Stultz, replacements will be done in sections so solar panels can continue to generate energy, albeit less energy, during roof replacement projects.

Funding for upgrading lighting in three of the district buildings was top of mind for Director Thomas Spinner. The costs for upgrades are the district’s responsibility and according to Chief Financial Officer Dawn Nickischer the money to fund the project will come from the fund balance.

Complicating the decision is the timeline for capitalizing on tax incentives for public institutions to implement solar energy projects. Incentives will be drastically reduced after the first of the year so a decision must be made at the Nov. 19 regular board meeting.

The administration has recommended moving forward with the plan to both upgrade the lighting as well as the move to implement solar panel energy utilization. After an informal show of hands the majority of the board appeared in favor of the administration’s recommendation.

During the finance portion of the meeting, a resolution letter generated by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association was put before the board to urge the Pennsylvania General Assembly to end the state budget impasse. PSBA is encouraging all school boards to band together in a show of support by passing the resolution at the next board meeting.

Nickischer reported the audit process is ahead of schedule and she anticipates the audit will be completed before the Thanksgiving break.

She also noted insurance rates will increase by at least $20,000 this year and the district’s carrier is looking to shop around to reduce the rates especially since water remediation issues have been addressed at SES.

Additionally, an early look at health care costs point to rising rates but there are no definite figures at this time.

The Salisbury Township School board will hold a curriculum and technology committee meeting followed by a regular school board meeting 7 p.m. Nov. 19. All meetings are held in the administration building, 1140 Salisbury Road, Allentown.