County Solar Project Shines On

It is going to take a little longer for that sun garden atop the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office to blossom.

The county’s freeholders will give the contractor, EMSA Construction of Parlin, a 60- day extension of the $284,000 contract on Wednesday. The contract called for installing 182 solar panels on a new membrane roof on what used to be called the Courthouse Annex at 119 Hooper Avenue, before it was designated for use by the Prosecutor’s Office.

County officials turned on the rooftop sun garden yesterday, with William Santos, director of the Department of Buildings and Grounds, predicting an average savings on electricity of $14,000 a year and the creation of solar renewable energy credits worth $24,800 every year.

He said the sun-powered system will pay for itself in six years, but will keep generating power for a quarter of a century. Total energy savings are estimated at $772,000, according to Santos.

Because a new roof was involved, the weather played a part in when it could be installed. Work could not be done when it was too cold, or too wet. Now Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari said the county is awaiting approval by the state Board of Public Utilities and the lowal power company before the system can be switched on. He estimated that will take six weeks.

Vicari said solar panels have already been installed along a drainage basin at  the county’s Southern Complex on Haywood Road in Manahawkin, providing power for the recycling center there.

Taxpayers will be able to keep track of how much alternative energy is being generated at the county Web site, www.co.ocean.nj.us.

Also in Manahawkin, Vicari said the new Southern Service Center will open May 11 at what once was St. Mary’s Parish Center at Routes 9 and 72. The county originally bought the building and site for a new Stafford branch of the Ocean County Library, but the recession shelved that conversion.

Instead it will be used to house offices for the surrogate, county clerk, and Office of Senior Services.

All the conversion work on the building was done by county workers, Vicari said. No overtime was paid.

Surrogate Jeffrey Moran said his office will do as many as 20 probates a day by appointment once the new building is open. Services for anyone living south of Lacey Road will be provided there, he said.

Clerk Scott Colabella said his branch office there will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays once the office opens.

The offices are being shifted from a smaller facility on Haywood Road in Manahawkin.

Colabella said the ease of access from major state highways and the Garden State Parkway, coupled with more parking will benefit the public at the new site.