Tom Doyle, Shelly Beck, Lisa Appleton, John Ward and Claire Chang. left to right.
LEVERETT — The Solar Store, a Greenfield-based solar panel retail and installation service, has been awarded the contract to build a 15 kilowatt solar panel array in Leverett.
The Solar Store was one of two developers to submit a proposal to build the solar array, which will be located between the town’s elementary school and public safety complex.
“There’s a little hill there that separates the two buildings and the Solar Store will put five pole-mounted solar arrays on that land because of it’s south-facing slant,” said Town Administrator Marjorie McGinnis.
Bidders were given the flexibility to choose the site they preferred to place the array on, with a plot of land between the Leverett Library and the elementary school being the other possible location.
McGinnis said that the entire project will cost $98,016 and will be funded by a $138,750 grant the town received through the Massachusetts Green Communities Act last year. The town’s original estimate put the cost between $70,000 and $80,000.
Leverett is one of 110 communities in the state that have earned “green community” designations. In addition to the solar energy project, the town has also used funding from the grant to install energy-efficient lighting in Town Hall, in the safety complex and in library buildings.
The only other company to submit a bid was GM Industries of Tolland, Conn.
McGinnis said the Solar Store was chosen because it had experience working in western Massachusetts and chose the installation location that the town preferred.
“We’re excited to get it all done and get the poles in, and so far our relationship with the bidder had been very good,”
Mass Solar
