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Solar panels will power Talent Community Center Monday Nov 7, 2016 at 12:01 AM Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune TALENT — A $59,186 Blue Sky grant from Pacific Power will provide electricity-generating solar panels on the city’s new Community Center, which is seeing increased use. The system is expected to provide 85 percent of the electricity needed to operate the building. “We are seeing a lot of neighborhood groups,” City Manager Tom Corrigan said of the building's use. “What we are trying to do is introduce it to the community and the people. It’s sort of like a long, soft opening.” Talent began using the new center in October 2015. It was funded largely by a $1.5-million federal Housing and Urban Development grant. Additional meeting spaces have allowed more opportunities for gatherings than was possible at the former site, the city-owned 1899 schoolhouse, which has one large room. Construction included provisions for the addition of solar panels. The roof was reinforced, extra conduit was run and an upgraded electrical panel was installed. In addition, a catwalk and other features were included for servicing a solar installation. True South Solar of Ashland prepared a draft plan that was submitted with the grant application. The solar panel will take up not quite half of the building’s south-facing roof. The cost was estimated at $67,000, and the city has budgeted money for its share. “The carbon footprint reduction going from fossil fuel to solar panels is huge,” said Corrigan. The installation will provide the equivalent of burning a half-million tons of coal over the life of the solar panels. Bids will probably be sought on the project during the winter, with work starting in March or April, said Corrigan. Work has to be completed by December 2017. Food and Friends has expanded its noon meals program to three days a week at the Community Center, an addition of one day, said Evelyn Kinsella, nutrition manager for Rogue Valley Council of Governments, which oversees the program. The number of people attending each day has remained about the same, she said. The new facility also allows home-delivered meals to be packed on site. “It’s fantastic. It’s a lovely center, the kitchen is absolutely awesome,” said Kinsella. “It’s a real nice change to have modern, new equipment.” Dividable spaces and other meeting spots have allowed multiple group use the building at the same time, an option not available at the previous location. The new building can accommodate three or four groups at the same time. “We had a Halloween party, a memorial service and a baptismal service all within a week,” said Corrigan. “We had a 50th birthday party the week before for two twins.” Ashland YMCA offers low-impact aerobics for seniors in the center, and REI will hold classes there next year. A sewing group sets up machines regularly in the center, and the chamber of commerce meets there. Representatives of the Phoenix Urban Renewal Agency toured the building and got a briefing on its operations as they develop plans for their own community center. User fees cover the cost of most utilities, said Corrigan, but the city pays for insurance and maintenance. The center wasn’t meant to make money, but the city hopes to cover its costs. — Tony Boom is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected].