Damakant Jayshi

A Wausau committee is seeking additional information on the cost, location and size of a solar array that could power the city’s new drinking water facility.

Wausau’s Solar Array Task Force met Thursday and agreed on a rough timeline for next steps. That includes preparing a draft of frequently asked questions by seeking public feedback.

The five-member advisory body will tour city-owned parcels on Aug. 9. The proposed solar array site is near 1801 Burek Ave. in Wausau. Following the tour, a question-gathering session will be held, likely in September.

The solar energy target of about one megawatt would cost between $2.2 and $2.5 million and will be close to the water treatment plant on Bugbee Avenue, said Public Works Director Eric Lindman. The cost could rise significantly if the array is installed further away due to the site work and excavation required.

“The additional cost for that would be about $300,000 to $800,000,” Lindman said. “It can get significant pretty quickly if we move further north.”

Roughly a 6-acre property will be needed for the solar array to generate one megawatt of power, Lindman said. The city owns a roughly 90-acre property close to the water treatment plant, but most of that acreage lies within the Village of Maine. He said village board trustees have resisted any rezoning to use part of the property for the project.

Solar Array Task Force member Jay Coldwell asked about funding sources for the solar project and which of the two entities would pay for the debt – the City of Wausau or the utility. Lindman said it could be either.

At the start of the meeting, task force member John Robinson shared an overview of the proposed project. The document includes next steps, cost estimates and sources of funding, current energy needs of the utility and solar energy projections.

Residents living around the proposed site have expressed concerns in the past about the installation and the impact it would have on property values, along with the aesthetics and environmental implications of the project. City leaders say there are multiple advantages to the array, which could be camouflaged by landscaping around the site.

On Thursday, some residents expressed their concerns again. Some who spoke asked the task force to conduct more investigation related to location and cost of the solar array site. One speaker said the map attached to the meeting packet should also show homes of the people who will be impacted. Right now, she said, the map appears as if no homes will be affected.

Other residents asked whether Maine’s board of trustees could be approached again with a request to rezone one of the city-owned parcels to build the solar array there.

The task force directed staff to bring the information they have sought to the meeting in September.