I have to wonder which? Not only have they given away our children's playgrounds at Lehigh and Moore elementary for $0 for 20 years, all for a measly $2 million spread out over 20 years in reduced electric, all the while making an electrical contractor with questionable business practices and his federally indicted financier, very rich men, and all the while keeping it quiet. NOW I get word from an inside source that the other shoe is going to drop. It appears they may have a SECOND $15 million dollar solar power plant project in the works at George Wolf elementary in Bath, PA!!! I wonder what is going to be in THEIR Christmas stockings?
They knew people were pissed off last night that they kept the first 2 projects secret, what will they do with the public's anger over this. I wonder what they threw in with this great deal, a new house perhaps for Metrotek head Reiner? Perhaps hot and cold running massages? Can't wait to find out at the next school board meeting on November 8th at 6:30 in the 1st Floor Conference Room at the District Administration Building, 2014 Laubach Avenue, Northampton, PA.
I wonder if Abeshaus passed the FBI background check to be on school grounds? Find out at the next Northampton Area School District Board meeting.........to be continued...
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Night of the Jaeckle
Last night was probably one of the most heated sessions of the Lehigh Township Board of Supervisors meetings ever. For the first time (other than a flyer that has been circulating via word of mouth from neighbor to neighbor) citizens of the township, as well as parents of students at the school, learned of the intrusive power plant plan that was so secret that the township supervisors had only recently heard about it.
Well, we found out why it was secret. The school board learned from Nazareth township that if the public finds out, they can stop the project at the township. The plan was developed by Metrotek an electrical engineering company run by Reiner Jaeckle and his financier Eric Abeshaus, and was given the greenlight by the Northampton Area School Board in a 9-0 vote. At the meeting, representing the School Board, was Bob Yanders, head of facilities. The plan is for 6.4 acre Solar power plant, 13 feet high with over 5,000 panels, generating 2.2 Megawatts. The School board is leasing the land to Metrotek for 20 years for $0 and in return will get $2 million in reduced energy spread out over 20 years. Metrotek and it's investors (to include Abeshaus) would receive all state and federal grant money, stimulous money, and the money from selling the excess energy back to the grid. In addition, they would get the SRECs (sustainable renewable energy credits), which are given yearly and over the life of the project would amount to $13-$20 million dollars!
Also there were approx. 70 township residents that were highly anxious to give the school board, the superintendant and Metroteks Jaeckle/Abeshaus, a piece of their mind. When they grilled the Metrotek duo, along Bob Yander, on a myriad of topics, many couldn't be answered. How safe is this for our kids?, why are you using most of the remaining land on school grounds?, will this affect property values? How much is this costing us in state and federal taxes? Why would the school district do this for such little gain?
Boiled down, the citizens found out, for $2 million in reduced energy rates and a $0 land lease for 20 years, the school board is going to make Reiner Jaeckle and Eric Abeshaus millionaires, with a no bid contract. The project would use most of the children's play area land at the school and would be a 13 foot tall, 6.4 acre metal nightmare.
One explosive, yet highly interesting fact came out when one of the township residents asked school facilities manager Bob Yanders if he had done background checks on the people they are doing business with. Without waiting for an answer he proceeded to ask him if he knew Eric Abeshaus was named in a Federal Lawsuit with fraud and corrruption. He told Yander he had found it out in 2 minutes on Google. I looked it up and in a March 27, 2009 article in the Express-Times, Abeshaus, along with his father and others in Circle Systems Group, was accused of not safety testing high school football helmets their company was contracted to refurbish.
All in all an interesting night, next stop the Lehigh township zoning board, as now Northampton Area School District will attempt to get a variance to allow Metrotek to operate the power plant on school grounds as a second principal usage. I wouldn't miss that one for anything. I am sure the next School Board meeting will also be VERY interesting, as the NASD will probably be asked to explain themselves in this matter.
"What were they thinking??"
Well, we found out why it was secret. The school board learned from Nazareth township that if the public finds out, they can stop the project at the township. The plan was developed by Metrotek an electrical engineering company run by Reiner Jaeckle and his financier Eric Abeshaus, and was given the greenlight by the Northampton Area School Board in a 9-0 vote. At the meeting, representing the School Board, was Bob Yanders, head of facilities. The plan is for 6.4 acre Solar power plant, 13 feet high with over 5,000 panels, generating 2.2 Megawatts. The School board is leasing the land to Metrotek for 20 years for $0 and in return will get $2 million in reduced energy spread out over 20 years. Metrotek and it's investors (to include Abeshaus) would receive all state and federal grant money, stimulous money, and the money from selling the excess energy back to the grid. In addition, they would get the SRECs (sustainable renewable energy credits), which are given yearly and over the life of the project would amount to $13-$20 million dollars!
Also there were approx. 70 township residents that were highly anxious to give the school board, the superintendant and Metroteks Jaeckle/Abeshaus, a piece of their mind. When they grilled the Metrotek duo, along Bob Yander, on a myriad of topics, many couldn't be answered. How safe is this for our kids?, why are you using most of the remaining land on school grounds?, will this affect property values? How much is this costing us in state and federal taxes? Why would the school district do this for such little gain?
Boiled down, the citizens found out, for $2 million in reduced energy rates and a $0 land lease for 20 years, the school board is going to make Reiner Jaeckle and Eric Abeshaus millionaires, with a no bid contract. The project would use most of the children's play area land at the school and would be a 13 foot tall, 6.4 acre metal nightmare.
One explosive, yet highly interesting fact came out when one of the township residents asked school facilities manager Bob Yanders if he had done background checks on the people they are doing business with. Without waiting for an answer he proceeded to ask him if he knew Eric Abeshaus was named in a Federal Lawsuit with fraud and corrruption. He told Yander he had found it out in 2 minutes on Google. I looked it up and in a March 27, 2009 article in the Express-Times, Abeshaus, along with his father and others in Circle Systems Group, was accused of not safety testing high school football helmets their company was contracted to refurbish.
All in all an interesting night, next stop the Lehigh township zoning board, as now Northampton Area School District will attempt to get a variance to allow Metrotek to operate the power plant on school grounds as a second principal usage. I wouldn't miss that one for anything. I am sure the next School Board meeting will also be VERY interesting, as the NASD will probably be asked to explain themselves in this matter.
"What were they thinking??"
Monday, October 25, 2010
SCHOOL BOARD SPENDS $1000 TO MAKE $10 -GOVERNMENT COMMON SENSE
Psssst . . . . I’ll let you in on a secret that the
Northampton Area School District doesn’t want you to know.
The School District wants to lease 6 1/2 acres of the
grass/field at the Lehigh Elementary School in Cherryville,
Lehigh Township, Walnutport, to a power company to install a
large solar power plant. The lease would be for 20 years.
There would be over 5,000 large panels -- nearly 13 feet tall
-- surrounded by a fence just as high. This solar farm will
cover most of the remaining recreational play area on the
school grounds. Many of the students will be confined to the
macadam and what remaining grass and drainage fields are left.
The plan is to let the power company generate electricity on
the leased public land and sell that energy to the school at a
reduced rate. In reality, this is a tax loophole so that the
energy company and its subcontractor who would actually install
the farm can get the tax credits and grant money from taxpayers
through the federal stimulus bill, without having to own land
or pay property tax. The project is estimated at $14 million
dollars and the school is guaranteed to receive $2 million in
reduced energy costs over a 20-year span. Most likely, the energy company would
receive what are known as SRECs, Sustainable renewable Energy Credits, which
can total another 8 million dollars or more over the 20 year life of the system.
In many of these
instances, the installer will get the rights to the 20 years of
maintenance needed for the upkeep of the system. With an $81.5
million school budget, it hardly seems worth it for the
taxpayer or the School District to enter into such a long-term
risky agreement, losing any future use of the land should
expansion need to occur in the township.
Betcha didn’t know that. And betcha didn’t know we heard it was
awarded through a no bid contract.
Until recently the School Board has kept the project under
wraps, we believe, so as not to alert the public and avoid prying questions
from those pesky parents curious about the unknown health risk
to the nearly 700 students at Lehigh Elementary. And then
there’s those troublesome taxpayers worried about property
values and asking about a myriad of other questionable
practices, such as subleasing public land to a power company in
a for-profit business venture.
Did you miss the groundbreaking ceremony for the project on
October 20? School and power company officials were there. So
was Congressman Charlie Dent, Julie Harhart,
and Secretary Hanger (Department of Education).
Whoops! They broke ground before securing the proper permits
and getting approval from the Township since this
requires a conditional use hearing. The School Board will
finally get around to filling the Township Board of Supervisors in on
its little secret Tuesday night (October 26), 7PM at the Lehigh Township
Municipal Building in Walnutport. I urge you to attend this hearing and help
us learn the details. But don’t tell them where you heard it.
-Concerned citizen of Lehigh Township
Northampton Area School District doesn’t want you to know.
The School District wants to lease 6 1/2 acres of the
grass/field at the Lehigh Elementary School in Cherryville,
Lehigh Township, Walnutport, to a power company to install a
large solar power plant. The lease would be for 20 years.
There would be over 5,000 large panels -- nearly 13 feet tall
-- surrounded by a fence just as high. This solar farm will
cover most of the remaining recreational play area on the
school grounds. Many of the students will be confined to the
macadam and what remaining grass and drainage fields are left.
The plan is to let the power company generate electricity on
the leased public land and sell that energy to the school at a
reduced rate. In reality, this is a tax loophole so that the
energy company and its subcontractor who would actually install
the farm can get the tax credits and grant money from taxpayers
through the federal stimulus bill, without having to own land
or pay property tax. The project is estimated at $14 million
dollars and the school is guaranteed to receive $2 million in
reduced energy costs over a 20-year span. Most likely, the energy company would
receive what are known as SRECs, Sustainable renewable Energy Credits, which
can total another 8 million dollars or more over the 20 year life of the system.
In many of these
instances, the installer will get the rights to the 20 years of
maintenance needed for the upkeep of the system. With an $81.5
million school budget, it hardly seems worth it for the
taxpayer or the School District to enter into such a long-term
risky agreement, losing any future use of the land should
expansion need to occur in the township.
Betcha didn’t know that. And betcha didn’t know we heard it was
awarded through a no bid contract.
Until recently the School Board has kept the project under
wraps, we believe, so as not to alert the public and avoid prying questions
from those pesky parents curious about the unknown health risk
to the nearly 700 students at Lehigh Elementary. And then
there’s those troublesome taxpayers worried about property
values and asking about a myriad of other questionable
practices, such as subleasing public land to a power company in
a for-profit business venture.
Did you miss the groundbreaking ceremony for the project on
October 20? School and power company officials were there. So
was Congressman Charlie Dent, Julie Harhart,
and Secretary Hanger (Department of Education).
Whoops! They broke ground before securing the proper permits
and getting approval from the Township since this
requires a conditional use hearing. The School Board will
finally get around to filling the Township Board of Supervisors in on
its little secret Tuesday night (October 26), 7PM at the Lehigh Township
Municipal Building in Walnutport. I urge you to attend this hearing and help
us learn the details. But don’t tell them where you heard it.
-Concerned citizen of Lehigh Township
Psssst . . . . I’ll let you in on a secret that the
Northampton Area School District doesn’t want you to know.
The School District wants to lease 6 1/2 acres of the
grass/field at the Lehigh Elementary School in Cherryville,
Lehigh Township, Walnutport, to a power company to install a
large solar power plant. The lease would be for 20 years.
There would be over 5,000 large panels -- nearly 13 feet tall
-- surrounded by a fence just as high. This solar farm will
cover most of the remaining recreational play area on the
school grounds. Many of the students will be confined to the
macadam and what remaining grass and drainage fields are left.
The plan is to let the power company generate electricity on
the leased public land and sell that energy to the school at a
reduced rate. In reality, this is a tax loophole so that the
energy company and its subcontractor who would actually install
the farm can get the tax credits and grant money from taxpayers
through the federal stimulus bill, without having to own land
or pay property tax. The project is estimated at $14 million
dollars and the school is guaranteed to receive $2 million in
reduced energy costs over a 20-year span. Most likely, the energy company would
receive what are known as SRECs, Sustainable renewable Energy Credits, which
can total another 8 million dollars or more over the 20 year life of the system.
In many of these
instances, the installer will get the rights to the 20 years of
maintenance needed for the upkeep of the system. With an $81.5
million school budget, it hardly seems worth it for the
taxpayer or the School District to enter into such a long-term
risky agreement, losing any future use of the land should
expansion need to occur in the township.
Betcha didn’t know that. And betcha didn’t know we heard it was
awarded through a no bid contract.
Until recently the School Board has kept the project under
wraps, we believe, so as not to alert the public and avoid prying questions
from those pesky parents curious about the unknown health risk
to the nearly 700 students at Lehigh Elementary. And then
there’s those troublesome taxpayers worried about property
values and asking about a myriad of other questionable
practices, such as subleasing public land to a power company in
a for-profit business venture.
Did you miss the groundbreaking ceremony for the project on
October 20? School and power company officials were there. So
was Congressman Charlie Dent, Julie Harhart, Governor Rendell,
and Secretary Hanger (Department of Education).
Whoops! They broke ground before securing the proper permits
and getting approval from the Township since this
requires a conditional use hearing. The School Board will
finally get around to filling the Township Board of Supervisors in on
its little secret Tuesday night (October 26), 7PM at the Lehigh Township
Municipal Building in Walnutport. I urge you to attend this hearing and help
us learn the details. But don’t tell them where you heard it.
-Concerned citizen of Lehigh Township
Northampton Area School District doesn’t want you to know.
The School District wants to lease 6 1/2 acres of the
grass/field at the Lehigh Elementary School in Cherryville,
Lehigh Township, Walnutport, to a power company to install a
large solar power plant. The lease would be for 20 years.
There would be over 5,000 large panels -- nearly 13 feet tall
-- surrounded by a fence just as high. This solar farm will
cover most of the remaining recreational play area on the
school grounds. Many of the students will be confined to the
macadam and what remaining grass and drainage fields are left.
The plan is to let the power company generate electricity on
the leased public land and sell that energy to the school at a
reduced rate. In reality, this is a tax loophole so that the
energy company and its subcontractor who would actually install
the farm can get the tax credits and grant money from taxpayers
through the federal stimulus bill, without having to own land
or pay property tax. The project is estimated at $14 million
dollars and the school is guaranteed to receive $2 million in
reduced energy costs over a 20-year span. Most likely, the energy company would
receive what are known as SRECs, Sustainable renewable Energy Credits, which
can total another 8 million dollars or more over the 20 year life of the system.
In many of these
instances, the installer will get the rights to the 20 years of
maintenance needed for the upkeep of the system. With an $81.5
million school budget, it hardly seems worth it for the
taxpayer or the School District to enter into such a long-term
risky agreement, losing any future use of the land should
expansion need to occur in the township.
Betcha didn’t know that. And betcha didn’t know we heard it was
awarded through a no bid contract.
Until recently the School Board has kept the project under
wraps, we believe, so as not to alert the public and avoid prying questions
from those pesky parents curious about the unknown health risk
to the nearly 700 students at Lehigh Elementary. And then
there’s those troublesome taxpayers worried about property
values and asking about a myriad of other questionable
practices, such as subleasing public land to a power company in
a for-profit business venture.
Did you miss the groundbreaking ceremony for the project on
October 20? School and power company officials were there. So
was Congressman Charlie Dent, Julie Harhart, Governor Rendell,
and Secretary Hanger (Department of Education).
Whoops! They broke ground before securing the proper permits
and getting approval from the Township since this
requires a conditional use hearing. The School Board will
finally get around to filling the Township Board of Supervisors in on
its little secret Tuesday night (October 26), 7PM at the Lehigh Township
Municipal Building in Walnutport. I urge you to attend this hearing and help
us learn the details. But don’t tell them where you heard it.
-Concerned citizen of Lehigh Township
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