Official: Solar Delays Shouldn't Impact Classes

Delays in the Hopatcong school district's much-anticipated solar energy project shouldn't affect classes in September, a school official said Tuesday.

Director of Grounds Neil Piro said he expects the restructuring of the and roofs to be completed before school starts.

"I'm not worried yet," he said. "If anything further occurs I'd have to reexamine that. But at this point in time there's no conflict."

Piro said the district's building permits for the roofs had been OK'ed by the borough and that the district was waiting for its solar panel permits, which Hopatcong Construction Code Official Bill O'Connor confirmed.

"The [solar] plans are in here now," O'Connor said. "They just dropped them off last week to our office for review for the solar panels themselves. They have the permits to do the roofs."

Hopatcong schools Superintendent Dr. Charles Maranazno has said the project could save the district more than $3 million over its 15-year contract with a solar developer and energy provider. He said the district will pay .5 cents per kilowatt hour—or just a third of what it's currently paying Jersey Central Power & Lights—for about 90 percent of its energy.