EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville City Council members recently reversed a Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) decision not to allow solar panels on the roof of the Madison County Archival Library building.
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The Madison County Historical Society owns and operates the historic John Weir House and museum located at 715 N. Main St., as well as the Madison County Archival Library next door at 801 N. Main St.
Built in 1836, the Weir House lacks the insulation and energy efficiency of modern homes, leading to high energy costs. To help bring these costs down, the Historical Society pursued a solar panel installation project at the Archival Library building, which was rejected by the HPC.
In his appeal to City Council members, Historical Society President Fred Faust emphasized the significant impact these savings would have on the organization, a non-government entity funded entirely by members and donations.
“In order to preserve our precious donations for better projects, we elected to install solar panels on the roof of the library to feed energy to the museum next door,” Faust wrote in his appeal. “The proposed 54 solar panels will offset 60% of the Weir House Museum’s energy bill. This is huge for a small organization such as ours.”
Faust said the Historical Society has put aside $68,000 for the solar panel project, expecting a return of $53,000 within a year and long-term 20-year energy savings of nearly $200,000. Not only can the organization not afford to lose this project, he continues, they also can’t afford the alternative solution suggested by the HPC.
“HPC proposed we install a solar array on the rear of our property. That array will cost in excess of $200,000 which will negate the energy savings,” he added. “If the project does not move forward, our organization will lose almost $10,000 in fees and permits.”
In his appeal, Faust said one of the reasons for the HPC’s rejection was a stipulation that solar panels in historic districts are not allowed to face the street. Faust noted that the solar panels would lay flat on the side of the library building roof, which does not face the street. He adds that the Weir House roof would not be suitable for solar panels, seeking only to appeal the HPC’s rejection of solar panels on the library roof.
Clarification Spurs Discussion At City Council
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, HPC Chair David Lott clarified that HPC guidelines call for rooftop solar panels to not be “visible from a public way” and to be installed in the “least visible high-performance location” possible. He added that the large array of solar panels on the side of the library roof would still be too “prominent” as viewed from Main Street.
Alderwoman Elizabeth Grant said she saw both parties involved as being “on the same team” of historic preservation. While the HPC were merely operating within their policies, she said the City Council had an opportunity to examine the situation outside of those guidelines.
“These people are all on the same team - they all value history, they are trying to keep an organization that has lost a lot of funding afloat,” Grant said.
Grant added that the solar panels won’t be visible to those entering Edwardsville - they would be facing the other side, visible to those leaving town. She pointed out that the library building, which was constructed in 2003, is not considered “historic,” and is thus not considered a “contributing property” to the historic district.
“I think it’s the right move to allow them to continue on this investment that has a return,” Grant said, shifting her focus to the HPC’s suggested solution. “Ground mount is too expensive, it’s going to take up their parking, it’s not a solution - so I’m voting ‘yes.’”
Alderman SJ Morrisson agreed that allowing the solar panels was the “right thing to do,” adding the area isn’t residential and that Main Street is a “hodgepodge of new and old.”
Alderman Hal Patton raised concerns that making this exception may lead to a rise of large solar panel installations and affect the look of the downtown area. He said the Historical Society could have looked into buying energy credits and benefitting from an out-of-town solar installation, much like the city recently did.
Alderman William Krause noted that if the City Council voted to make an exception in this case, it should not be interpreted by residents or business owners as a blanket exception or opportunity to start proposing other visible solar panel projects.
City Council members voted 5-2 to approve the appeal and allow the rooftop solar panels on the library building. Patton and Alderman Chris Farrar voted against the motion.
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