Klamath County juvenile facility to pursue 3‑acre solar array with $321,988 ODOE award

Klamath County commissioners on April 7 approved a performance agreement to accept a $321,988 grant from the Oregon Department of Energy’s Community Renewable Energy Program to build a solar array at the county juvenile facility.

Dan Golden, director of the Klamath County Juvenile Department, told the board the project would place a roughly three‑acre solar field on fill land created by recent construction and, when completed, could offset roughly half of the juvenile facility’s construction costs and provide electricity offsets to two nearby county buildings: the public health department and the county Veterans Services office. Golden said the county will match the ODOE award and then issue an RFP for a contractor.

The grant award was described to commissioners as competitive — staff said the program awarded about 24 grants from roughly 75 applicants. Golden said the county received notice of the award on March 23 and must return documents to the state within 30 days; he and commissioners emphasized that accepting the performance agreement does not preclude presenting the project details to the budget committee for supplemental funding decisions.

Commissioners discussed timing and next steps. Golden said the project will require coordination on utility arrangements and selection of a contractor; the county will match the grant per the agreement terms and staff will work with finance on any supplemental budget actions. The motion to approve the ODOE performance agreement passed with the board’s voice vote.

The county did not provide a detailed construction timeline or the exact match amount during the meeting; staff said those items will be developed during the RFP and budget processes. The board directed staff to include the project in upcoming budget committee materials for consideration.

What's next: Klamath County will finalize the performance agreement with ODOE, issue an RFP for project construction and utility work, and present funding needs to the budget committee as required by county procedures.