The city of Fort Walton Beach, located in the Florida panhandle, is seriously considering adding solar panels to the roofs of the buildings at the city’s new field office complex. The feeling is that it would “save taxpayer dollars in the future,” City Councilman Nic Allegretto said recently.
If the panels are obtained, they would be the first ones for a city of Fort Walton Beach facility.
The field office complex is located at the former Jet Stadium site. A grand-opening ceremony for the 48,493-square-foot compound occurred on December 18th, 2019.
The complex consolidates eight facilities from around the city into three buildings at one location.
The consolidation means “an ultimate long-term cost savings on things just like utilities, and solar panels on the roofs of those buildings would be a good (way to save money),” Allegretto said at the last City Council meeting.
Staff is looking into options for purchasing solar components for the complex, city spokesman Doug Rainer said Tuesday.
The complex houses water and sewer functions, streets and stormwater, geographic information systems (GIS), engineering, solid waste and recycling, facility maintenance, and fleet services.
The city borrowed a little more than $12.5 million to pay for the complex and related upgrades, such as a realignment of a portion of Jet Drive to provide better access to the compound.
Midway-based Ajax Building Corp. developed the complex. Construction began in September 2018 and was completed on schedule.
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