By Theresa Harrington from Contra Costa Times
CONCORD -- The Mt. Diablo school district is preparing to install the first phase of its taxpayer-funded solar panels at 17 sites, expecting to break ground in June and finish in September.
The second and third phases will take place during the school year, with all 51 sites completed by April 2012, according to the district's schedule.
Some district officials are worrying about how the public will react when they see dozens of trees ripped out of campuses and replaced with a sea of solar panels atop carports or similar raised "shade structures."
They're hoping the community will take pride in the positive aspects of the project -- which is expected to offset more than $3 million in electricity bills a year -- instead of focusing on how the structures could negatively affect campuses. Voters in June approved Measure C, a $348 million bond measure, which is paying for the solar projects among other campus improvements.
"The (school) sites, in their minds, are making some real compromises," said project manager Pete Pedersen, during a Measure C Oversight Committee meeting Thursday. "These aren't the prettiest things in the world. I don't think people realize how big they are."
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