Chesco solar project talks may restart
A plan to make the Coatesville Area School District one of the country's most energy-efficient is again on the table, after the developer of a solar project dropped his lawsuit against the district.
A plan to make the Coatesville Area School District one of the country's most energy-efficient is again on the table, after the developer of a solar project dropped his lawsuit against the district.
Bob Keares, managing partner of Coatesville Solar Initiative, said he withdrew the lawsuit charging breach of contract because school officials told him negotiations could restart on the solar agreement.
This past weekend, the school solicitor gave Keares conditions to meet before that happens, including agreeing not to sue the district again.
Officials approved the solar deal last year but rescinded it in January, citing the need to reexamine its provisions.
The school board decided in July not to go forward with the plan on the advice of energy consultants, who said the solar agreement did not make clear the potential cost savings for the district and left out other necessary details.
The school board's increased scrutiny of the deal came mainly because its former solicitor helped craft the contract. The board is suing him, accusing him of overbilling for his services and giving unsound legal advice on various projects. No court dates for that have been set.
Mike Levin, the school district's current solicitor, told Keares this weekend that he must agree to pay the school district's legal and energy consultant fees, and open the project to proposals from other developers, Levin said.
Keares said he is fine with those conditions, though the request for other proposals will further delay the project. But he said he would not agree to not sue the school district again.
"I'm not giving up my rights," he said.
The solar project, which will cost the developer between $12 million and $15 million, calls for 21,000 solar panels to be installed next to the high school. The school district would buy energy through Coatesville Solar Initiative, which the developer said would save the district at least $3 million over 25 years.
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