NEWBURYPORT — A 70-ton crane was at work at the Nock Middle School yesterday installing the last grouping of solar panels on the building's upper roof.
The towering machinery lowering boxes of energy-efficient materials down onto the rooftop was a sight to behold, said interim Superintendent Deirdre Farrell, who said the solar project is on target to be substantially complete by Aug. 31, a day before school starts.
"It's got quite a boom on it," she said of the machine on site for most of the morning yesterday. "The crane is on site to lift the solar panels to the upper roofline, which is the top of the auditorium. On the lower roofline, they've already started the assembly of the solar panel system. In fact, it's moving along quite well."
Farrell said the 4-by-3-foot panels have been placed in four main areas atop the school roof — one grouping over the eighth-grade classrooms nearest to the playground, another grouping over the main offices at the entrance to the building, a cluster at the highest rooftop location above the auditorium and one atop the gymnasium.
"I would say the panels themselves are maybe 4 feet-by-3 feet, and they all tongue and groove together for assembly," said Farrell, who revealed the time line moving forward and one major milestone solar test run that's just around the corner.
"Substantial completion is to be by Aug. 31, and at a site meeting last week, we reviewed their schedule and milestone and completion date, and it looks like we're on target," Farrell said. "On Saturday, Aug. 22, the power to the building is going to be shut down so that they can connect the solar panels to the grid."
In preparation for the power shutdown, the school is coordinating its effort with the Fire Department and alarm and phone companies to ensure a smooth transition when the power is switched back on.
"Technology will obviously be down, along with our phone systems in planning for that power outage," Farrell said.
"That's the big one," she said of the outage and connection day. "I'll be on site when they turn it back on to make sure everything turns back on."
Farrell said another, somewhat larger, crane is expected to be out at the school Monday for the replacement of some rooftop heating and air conditioning units that are part of the school's capital plan to improve ventilation and climate control in the classrooms.
"The actual units being lifted are extremely heavy," Farrell said. "This is our replacement plan for the rooftop and mechanical units on the building — air conditioning, heating and ventilation units."
With the addition of the 2,600 solar panels, a portion of which will be installed atop the Department of Public Services building with energy credits benefiting the school, Farrell said the district is gaining momentum on its green initiatives.
"Our theme is all about energy efficiencies, particularly in this building," she said.
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