Traverse City commissioners wil discuss several city infrastructure projects at their 7pm study session tonight (Monday) at the Governmental Center.

City Engineer Tim Lodge will give an update and answer any commission questions on several city bridge projects, including Eighth Street, Cass Street, West Front Street and Park Street. Lodge and City Planning Director Russ Soyring will also give an overview on the process for approving capital improvement and street projects. Commissioners had asked for the overview to better understand the approval process for the reconstruction of West Front Street, which is set to take place later this year.

Commissioners will also discuss a proposed solar deal involving a private developer, Heritage Sustainable Energy, offering to sell Traverse City Light & Power energy from a 1MW solar array to be developed on M-72. According to a memo from city staff, "it is likely that TCL&P would approve this power purchase agreement contigent on the city agreeing to pay the price differential between this project and the calculated avoided cost of solar. This payment could happen via a negotiated green rate on city meters totaling approximately $25,000 each year for 20 years, the projected life of the panels." Staff said pros of the project including making an "immediate city statement regarding action towards (the city's) 100 percent renewable electricity goal by 2020," taking advantage of federal tax credits that expire in 2019, having a fixed-price contract for 20 years, reinstating TCL&P's customer green rate program, and having a shovel-ready project that could begin this calendar year.

Cons are that the project uses private property instead of city-owned land (incurring extra costs), that there was no bid process and thus no way to measure the competitiveness of the offer, that it's unclear if the technology proposed is the most efficient, and that there could be a lower-cost solar project available by involving more partners and achieving economies of scale. Commissioners will consider the pros and cons along with questions such as whether the city owns its own property that might suitable for a solar project during tonight's study session.