CHERRY TWP — Solar panels will be installed at Moniteau Junior/Senior High School and Dassa McKinney Elementary School in the next two weeks following nearly two years of project planning.

At a meeting Monday, Aug. 14, school board directors noted that the project — which was executed by environmental design firm BAI Group at no cost to the district — had already saved the district $2.1 million with the installation of the high school’s new roof. Solar panels will help the district save further on electricity costs, board director Michael Baptiste said after the meeting.

The solar panels could save the district approximately $125,000 a year in electricity costs, Baptiste said.

For the solar panels to be installed, the high school roof had to be replaced. The roof had been in a state of disrepair, Jeff Campbell, director of buildings and grounds, said after the meeting. As the district partnered with BAI Group, the entire project was made possible with federal tax credits, he said.

Campbell said the high school’s new roof was finished by BAI Group last week, and the next step in the process will be to install solar panels. Ground-mounted panels will be placed in the elementary school, Campell said.

He noted that the solar panels would allow the district to become more energy independent.

“Essentially, we become our own microgrid,” Campbell said.

At present, the district pays Central Electric a rate of 11 cents per kilowatt hour. As Central Electric raises its prices to 13 cents per kilowatt beginning in September, the district will purchase electricity through BAI Group at a locked-in rate of 8 cents per kilowatt hour.

Campbell said the district is always considering energy-minded projects. Implementing water conservation toilets in some of the buildings, for example, helped the district conserve 6,000 — 8,000 gallons of water a day, he said.

The solar project is both environmentally friendly and financially smart for the district, Campbell said.

Board directors recommended the appointment of Payton Neyman, 23, to the role of assistant business manager pending paperwork. Neyman said he looks forward to learning and growing as he steps into the role.