Solar panels could power Woodside Town Hall and 19th century Independence Hall

Woodside’s 140-year-old Independence Hall could see a high-tech element added.

Woodside leaders are revisiting the possibility of having solar panels installed on the roofs of the historic building and Town Hall next door, both on Whiskey Hill Road.

During a meeting last month, the Town Council voted 4-2 on a resolution to pursue the proposal in collaboration with local electricity provider Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) should Woodside staff determine that the project will bring cost savings or other benefits to the community. Councilmembers Brian Dombkowski and Dick Brown dissented.

The council indicated that the town will also have to gauge if there’s enough community support for the project. The matter would return to the council for final approval.

“The council wanted to make sure that residents were aware of the proposal and wanted to see more details on the cost savings,” Mayor Jenn Wall said in an email. “The council approved a resolution authorizing a letter of understanding with PCE. PCE will now select a contractor to construct a number of projects for public entities. The Woodside project is one of those proposed to be undertaken by PCE.”

After PCE picks a contractor, she said, the proposal will come back to the council for further evaluation into “whether there is a sufficient public benefit to proceed.”

During their deliberation of the project, council members raised concern that not many in the community knew the proposal — similar to what was studied but rejected four years ago — has come up for consideration.

The council should give “the public another opportunity to show up and lend their support or talk about why they may not support it,” Wall said during the meeting.

“I think people would be surprised to understand this is back on the agenda,” Dombkowski said. “I think it’d behoove us to make sure the public is aware.”

He added that “a lot of people would be very, very concerned about us doing this in town” given that the project would involve a structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Brown agreed strongly on that point. “I can’t imagine putting solar panels on this building,” he said. “I mean it was built in 1884. This is crazy. I don’t mind looking at other alternatives and (suggest) looking for other areas in the town that maybe would not be so disruptive.”

‘I can’t imagine putting solar panels on this building. I mean it was built in 1884. This is crazy. I don’t mind looking at other alternatives and (suggest) looking for other areas in the town that maybe would not be so disruptive.’

Woodside council member, Dick Brown

In a report to the council, staff noted that PCE would make sure the installation at Independence Hall follows federal standards for work on buildings listed on the national register.

If those standards are met and the installation is as low profile as possible, Woodside History Committee Chairperson Thalia Lubin said her group supports the project.

“In concept, I don’t see a problem with it,” she told The Almanac. The project should “not detract from the historic integrity of the building.”

Otherwise, she said, “it seems a good thing for the town to set an example of installing solar panels as a community benefit.”

The project would reduce electricity costs and yield other advantages for Woodside, Wall said.

“Specifically, the solar PV (photovoltaic) system is expected to provide cost savings as the amount paid for both electricity generation as well as transmission and distribution would be reduced,” she said. “Solar panels combined with storage systems could also help to harden Town Hall and make it less vulnerable to natural disasters.”

The town also benefits from teaming up with PCE because the agency would execute “all aspects of the procurement process, administration of the construction and maintenance of the solar PV system, and secure tax credits and delivery of installation and services at cost,” she said.

Moreover, Wall said, the project is in line with the town’s Climate Action Plan goal of bringing in renewable energy.

The project “would reduce the amount of energy the town pulls from the grid, potentially resulting in significant energy cost savings over the life of the system,” PCE spokesperson Darren Goode said. “In addition, the Town Hall’s daytime operations would be energized directly with a renewable power source.”

He acknowledged that the council wants further information before possibly granting its approval.

“The council wants to review final energy savings estimates after Peninsula Clean Energy selects a vendor and establishes the build cost for the project,” he said. “They also want to review details within the agreement between the town of Woodside and Peninsula Clean Energy.”

A previous solar-panel proposal involving another company and a different financing structure came in 2020. The town considered self-funding the project costing more than $300,000, but the council ultimately decided against it, citing concerns about the historic designation of Independence Hall, the return on investment and the fact there were no competitive bids.