City could add solar array at closed Kittyhawk Golf Center
Dayton has hired a consultant to help search for a developer to add solar panels at Kittyhawk Golf Center.
A solar feasibility study by the same consultant concluded that the city could significantly reduce its carbon emissions and save as much as $230,000 annually by installing a solar array at Kittyhawk, which is located in northeast Dayton and officially was shut down in 2020.
Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein said the Kittyhawk solar project could result in a significant reduction in energy costs at one of Dayton’s water distribution facilities.
Dayton City Commission on Wednesday approved a professional services agreement with Go Sustainable Energy.
Go Sustainable Energy last year released a study that concluded that a solar array at Kittyhawk could provide about 30% of the electricity at the adjacent Dayton Miami Water Treatment Plant.
Under the contract, the city will pay Go Sustainable $61,000 to assist with the request for proposals process and contract negotiations to acquire solar panels for the golf property.
The project could save the city between $30,000 and $230,000 in annual energy costs at the water treatment plant, says a memo from Mark Charles, Dayton’s sustainability manager.
Solar panels at Kittyhawk might cover about 20 to 40 acres of the property, with most being installed on the former Sherwin-Williams site, said Meg
Maloney, a city sustainability specialist.
Dayton closed two of the three golf facilities it owns in
2020, citing costs and financial concerns. The city also shut down Madden Golf Course in west Dayton, but decided to
keep operating Community Golf Club, which is technically in the city of Kettering.
The request for proposals process will help the city find out what kind of pricing it can get from a power purchase agreement, and if the pricing is satisfactory the city will look at next steps, Maloney said.
The Kittyhawk property is an active water wellfield, which means the rest of the site cannot be developed, Maloney said.
Maloney said the city will continue to evaluate the potential reuse or redevelopment of the Madden golf facility over the next six to 12 months.
“That evaluation will engage adjacent residents and community stakeholders and include an analysis of a myriad of redevelopment scenarios,” she said.