Parkway Kicks Off Solar Panel Program That Could Save More Than $1 Million

A ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday marked the beginning of the Parkway School District's solar panel installation program.

Parkway is installing solar panels in 33 schools. The process is expected to be complete by the end of December and would be the first and largest school solar project in the state of Missouri.

Tuesday's ceremony was held at Barretts Elementary School in Manchester, the first school to receive the panels. Each building will have 100 panels installed.

"I'm really excited that Parkway has taken a leadership role and proud of our school board for making this a reality," said Superintendent Keith Marty. "I'd like to think that Parkway is a district that thinks toward the future."

He also said the district is always thinking about ways it can partner with companies and individuals, like the one with Brightergy for this project.

"It's incredible how supportive the Parkway schools are about this. They really mean business," Cindy Bambini with Brightergy tells Patch. "I'm delighted that they're first."

It was in May that the Parkway School Board voted to move forward with the program outfitting the buildings with solar panels.

"We knew it was going to happen quickly," Parkway School Board President Beth Feldman tells Patch. "Hopefully we'll start seeing some of the energy savings in this cold winter."

Feldman also reiterated Tuesday what she said when she voted to approve the program in May, "It's a win, win, win."

"it's environmentally sound, it's economically sound and it's educationally sound,"Feldman said. "I really don't see a down side."

In addition to saving energy, Barretts Elementary School Principal Kelli Moreton said the solar panels will be used as an educational tool.

"Brightergy is putting a LED monitor in our lobby so that the kids can see how much energy is being used and conserved," Moreton said.

She said most of the children are already familiar with recycling through school and their families, but this is a new subject for students.

"So this new solar panel installation will be new learning to them," Moreton tells Patch.

A student from each grade level at the school was randomly selected to be a member of the "Green Team" that cut the ribbon Tuesday morning.

The panels will save the district an estimated $14,194 the first year and have no up front installation cost. The district says savings could reach more than $1.4 million over the life of the contract which runs until 2033.