I can't believe I watched the whole thing!

Ooops, I hit something that published this with just a title.

Must type quickly.

Anyway, I actually missed the beginning of the School Committee broadcast on local access cable because there were technical difficulties? Who knows.

Anyway, the board voted (with two nays) to approve the mayor to proceed with the contract for a solar array on the Nock Middle School, with the caveat that Superintendent Lyons has to review it before the mayor signs it.

There was some amount of debate about the city locking itself into an escalating rate over the 20-year contract (the city would most likely take a buyout of the system at year 12).

The contract calls for the city to pay $.14 per kilowatt which as I heard it would increase by 4% each year after that.

Tim Brennan, NRA member and employee of National Grid, speaking as a private citizen cautioned the group over entering into the contract due to the fact that electricity rates might actually flatten out since they are in a peak right now.

Brennan said that the city could end up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars over market, but Mayor John Moak said the city will save $110,000 in the first 3 years and as much as $2.7 mil overall.

He noted that the state was "extremely pleased" with the project.

The state did grant a waiver of the mandatory bidding process in 2 days, after all.