A 39-kilowatt solar installation on Amesbury High School is up and running and making energy to offset the school's electric bill, generating approximately 1,900 kilowatts since the switch was flipped on Aug. 18. According to a press release issued by the mayor's office, the panels stand to reduce the school's energy costs by approximately $10,000 per year.
They were installed with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Massachusetts Department of Energy and an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. All told, grants for the project totaled $150,000.
The design work for the project was completed in June with installation in July and August.
Talmage Solar Engineering from Arundel, Maine, installed the panels for the city.
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The Amesbury Police Department Relay For Life of Amesbury Team will be hosting a fundraiser to raise funds for cancer research today from 5 to 9 p.m. at Flatbread Company in the Millyard. A portion of the proceeds from all dine-in or takeout pizzas sold that evening will be donated to the American Cancer Society. In addition, the team will be holding a raffle with some special prizes. The Amesbury Police Department is participating in the annual community event for the eighth consecutive year. The department was awarded a Silver Certificate last year for raising more than $5,000 toward the cause.
Those unable to attend the fundraiser are encouraged to make a donation, payable to the American Cancer Society and sent to the attention of team captain Tom Hanshaw at the Amesbury police station, 19 School St., Amesbury MA 01913. Supporters may also donate online by visiting www.relayforlife,org/amesburyma and selecting one of the many participating teams.
The Relay For Life of Amesbury will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Landry Stadium. Volunteers have raised more than $600,000 for the American Cancer Society through the previous seven events held in Amesbury. Funds are used to provide patient services, heighten public awareness, promote early detection and fund important research. Forty-four Nobel Prize winners were supported by the ACS. For more information, contact Hanshaw via e-mail at thomash@amesburyma.gov or by telephone at 978-388-1217.
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As part of the Soles4Souls mission, members and friends of St. James Episcopal Church in Amesbury recently collected more than 700 pairs of shoes as part of their summer outreach program. Several hundred were given to Amesbury Community Action, which will provide them free of charge to local families in need of assistance. Other shoes were boxed and sent to Soles4Souls headquarters for sorting and distribution to national and international areas of need. In the nine months following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Soles4Souls distributed 1 million pairs of shoes to residents of that country. Kathy and Vin Costanzo co-chaired the St. James Shoe Drive.
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The following meetings are scheduled this week and are open to the public:
Tuesday
Conservation Commission, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall
School Committee, 7 p.m., Amesbury High School
Wednesday
CDBG public meeting, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall
Thursday
Cultural Council Meeting, 7 p.m., Cultural Center
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Lynne Hendricks covers Amesbury for The Daily News. She can be reached at 978-465-1078, or at lhendricks@newburyportnews.com.
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