The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) has awarded Habersham County $175,815 to install solar panels at the Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center. If the Habersham County Commission accepts the award, solar energy could become the power source for the aquatic center.
Interim County Manager Alicia Vaughn applied for the GEFA award at the end of September, and the authority announced on Nov. 16 that they would cover 75 percent of the costs of solar panels and battery storage at the aquatic center. The estimated total of the project is $234,420.
“The county is excited to receive this opportunity to install a green energy source at our aquatic center,” Vaughn says. The award comes from GEFA’s Solar Resiliency Technical Assistance Program, which helps government entities afford solar power technology for critical infrastructure.
Aside from being a location for swimming and recreation, the Habersham County Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center serves as a Red Cross Shelter Facility, voting precinct, public safety training location, heath department vaccination site and overflow courthouse jury trial location.
Solar power technology at the aquatic center will help the facility stay operational during inclement weather. The facility has lost power during bad weather before, but with solar power infrastructure, losing power will be far less likely. Batteries would hold power reserves from collected solar power and would keep the facility running.
The technology could also save taxpayers money— the Habersham County Parks and Recreation Department spends about $140,000 on power annually according to Habersham County Public Information Officer Carolyn Gibson. That power bill includes the power for the aquatic center as well as lighting for county parks.
“This GEFA program will allow the county to significantly lower the utility bills generated by our Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center,” Vaughn says. “Our staff continues to seek grant opportunities which lower the burden on the county’s general fund, and in turn allows the county to maintain a low property tax rate for our citizens.”
The Habersham County Board of Commissioners will vote on whether or not they will move forward with the GEFA award and solar panels at their next meeting, which is scheduled for Dec. 20, 2021.
