New Roofing and Solar Plans Plausible for Manalapan-Englishtown Schools

Solar energy has been a hot topic in Manalapan this summer, and although a proposed solar energy plan for Manalapan-Englishtown schools , Superintendent John J. Marciante Jr. is not abandoning the idea of bringing a clean energy solution for the district’s energy needs. First, however, the district must address its roof replacement needs at , and .

During a meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 2, Marciante discussed a “proposal for moving forward” in which he outlined ways in which the school district can replace the roofs and achieve solar energy in a financially sound way.

Funding for the Milford Brook project, in the amount of $618,000, has already been obtained in a fund transfer; the project is set to be completed this summer. However, the district also needs to find an additional $3.2 to $3.6 million dollars to replace the roofs of MEMS and Pine Brook.

Step one of the new tentative plan involves allocating money to the capital reserve account for the 2012-2013 budget. According to Business Administrator Veronica Wolf, these funds will be available as surplus at the end of the 2010-2011 budget year.

“The capital reserve fund will then be allocated for roofing projects in the 2012-2013 budget,” Marciante’s proposal reads. In Step 2, “the remaining $1.2 to $1.6 million dollars will be financed through a five year lease purchase agreement.”

There are two payment options for this lease. Option one is a yearly payment which can be generated from an annual surplus. Option two involves a redesigned solar project and "one that does not include roof replacements or the units mounted on the ground.”

Marciante noted that the sight of these field units might have been the source of some controversy with the public. Also, contractors may have felt that including the roofing replacements as part of the project was too big of a risk, according to the superintendent.

“One of the major problems we ran into with the solar project was there was a tremendous amount of upfront money,” said Marciante. He explained that the upfront cost for the contractor was approximately $5 million and the company had to wait 15 years for the return on their investment. Marciante called this an “extreme risk.”

In July, Marciante announced that a chosen and asked the district to put up more of the construction costs. A spokesperson for the contractor, Ray Angelini, declined to comment.

In the old plan, the Board had consulted Spiezel Architecture Group, which was also a major up-front cost in the initial project. “The more I learned about this as we went over this process over the past year, we really did not need to pay an architect based on a percentage,” said Marciante. He said he does not regret hiring the architecture firm which also designed the roofs, which need to be state-approved. Contractors are free to adjust solar projects. 

“I think it’s the way to go. I think it’s an environmentally friendly and sound move to make, especially if our risk is minimal, and we’re not paying for it,” said Marciante.

The district pays  approximately $1.2 million dollars in electrical costs per year, according to the superintendent. The district would lease its roof space to the solar energy provider and buy the generated energy at a discounted rate. The savings would then help pay for the roofing costs.

Board Member Joseph DePasquale voiced some concerns over the lease agreement and asked Marciante if they should pursue a larger solar project and a larger revenue to pay off the roofs. Marciante said he does not think this is necessary for the district’s needs. DePasquale also pointed out that the district might not want to buy the leased solar system after 15 years because the technology will be obsolete.

Board President Michele Stipelman asked about upfront costs for creating a new RFP for a new project. Marciante estimates it would be in the range of $20,000 to $30,000. If no contractor bids, the district will lose that upfront costs, but he thinks that with less risk, the project will attract a firm.

Marciante plans to present the board with a list of engineering firms that have assisted in the project development, but have ultimately left the design to the contractor, which saves a significant amount of money. The superintendent also said he will consider specialized legal advice to address some of the previous issues that were encountered.