The Springfield Park District Board has approved issuing bonds to help pay for a major solar energy upgrade that’s already begun at two of its facilities.
Bonds totaling $1.8 million, along with state and federal funding, will cover the costs of replacing the roofs on the Nelson Center and the Fun Shop building and the installation of solar panels. In addition, the Fun Shop will receive a new HVAC system.
The Nelson Center, one of the most popular facilities in the Park District, is located in Lincoln Park and holds two professional-sized indoor ice rinks, indoor meeting space and an outdoor pool beside it. The Fun Shop, a standalone building near the center of the park, hosts programs for young children.
Derek Harms, Springfield Park District executive director, said the bond sale won’t result in an increase in taxes. He said it’s an “alternative revenue bond,” and the energy savings due to the solar panels will offset the costs of the bonds.
“So, the alternate revenue that we’re pledging to pay debt service will come from the energy savings that we’ll realize from having the solar on top of the roof, coupled with rebates and incentives that the federal government offers for energy-efficient projects like that,” Harms said.
Debt service entails the selling price of the bonds and the interest they accrue over 10 years.
Rebates were available for the installation of solar panels as part of President Joe Biden’s “green agenda.” His administration made heavy investments in alternative forms of energy such as solar, wind and battery manufacturing to curb the dependency on fossil fuels.
Under the Trump Administration, some of the funding has been canceled or cut short. Harms said the Park District purchased solar panels before the rebates were phased out July 1.
“We were able to get in right at the tail end of these rebates,” Harms said.
In addition to receiving federal rebates, the project benefits from state funding through Illinois Shines, a program created to support the transition to 100% clean energy sources by 2050 as laid out in the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act.
“The stars kind of aligned for us,” he said. “We were able to really take advantage of all three of them to make this project work.”
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027 with 728 panels allotted for the Nelson Center and 88 panels for the Fun Shop.
The Park District has solar panels in place at Southwind Park, but “this will be the first really sizable, notable solar project that we’re doing.”
The solar panels installed at the Nelson Center and the Fun Shop combined will produce a total of 517,990 kWh its first year. The estimated total cost savings for both buildings in the first year will be $48,300, Harms said.
Harms said the need to replace the roofs was the incentive for the project.
“The roof on both the Fun Shop and the Nelson Center have passed their useful life,” he said.
“It’s a great way to make a local improvement at no cost to local taxpayers, “ he said. “We’re all about green, and putting solar panels up there will certainly help reduce our footprint and our energy consumption, and help save dollars.”
