McKinstry and the Northwest Colorado Regional Partnership are celebrating the completion of 13 solar projects across the Northwest Colorado region. The projects included solar arrays installed at 13 government facilities in the cities and towns of Craig, Steamboat Springs, Hayden, Oak Creek and Yampa. Eight of the solar arrays are ground-mounted while the remaining five are rooftop systems. State and local officials from the Colorado Energy Office, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, County Commissioners, City Councilmembers and others from City of Steamboat Springs, Routt County, Moffat County, City of Craig, Moffat County School District, Town of Yampa, Town of Oak Creek and Town of Hayden participated in the ribbon cutting.

Hayden, Colo. - Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Hayden, Colorado, and McKinstry, a national construction and energy services firm, recently held a community ribbon cutting event to celebrate completion of 13 new solar arrays constructed across eight local government agencies throughout the region. This unprecedented project includes a regional partnership with the City of Steamboat Springs, Routt County, Moffat County, City of Craig, Moffat County School District, Town of Yampa, Town of Oak Creek, and Town of Hayden to improve energy independence and promote resiliency across the region. The Colorado Energy Office and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) provided critical support to the project partners.

In March 2020, the Northwest Colorado regional partners contracted with McKinstry to perform a feasibility study for solar and resiliency opportunities across 15 different sites throughout the Routt County and Moffat County region. The goal of the feasibility study was to investigate opportunities to deploy ground- and roof-mounted solar arrays, and determine the potential of the solar and other resiliency improvements to help the partners accomplish the following goals:
Reduce energy and utility costs
Improve energy reliability
Increase resiliency across sites
Offset grid energy usage at each site
Progress renewable energy goals of state

In January 2021, the Northwest Regional Partners announced receipt of $2.1 million in grant funding from the DOLA Energy Impact Fund to support the region's use of renewable energy. Each partner received a share of the grant to buy its individual project payback down to 11 years. McKinstry engineered a series of solar arrays and resiliency solutions designed to meet each of the regional partners' unique priorities. The projects are now being constructed through an Energy Savings Performance Contract (EPC) with each partner.

"McKinstry is excited for the opportunity to partner with each of the Northwest Colorado regional partners to identify their energy needs and opportunities, leveraging available financing mechanisms like the Energy Performance Contracting program to create financially responsible opportunities to help reach their sustainability goals," said Leslie Larocque, McKinstry Vice President of Energy and Technical Services - Mountain Region. "Our promise to clients is to design energy projects that deliver immediate value, saving energy and reducing operating costs."

Solar arrays are installed at 13 local government facilities in the cities and towns of Craig, Steamboat Springs, Hayden, Oak Creek and Yampa. Eight of the projects are ground-mounted, while the remaining five are rooftop systems.

"This is an enormous grant for Northwest Colorado and shows the commitment from a number of organizations to be fiscally efficient and also in moving toward renewable energy in support of Colorado's goal of being 100% renewable energy by 2040," said Winnie DelliQuadri, Special Projects / Intergovernmental Services Manager for the City of Steamboat Springs.

Individual projects range from $63,500 to nearly $900,000 and involve DC and AC electrical work, minor boring for ground mount foundations, trenching for AC conduit, and minor site grading. Permanent fences will be installed when necessary. McKinstry began the construction process this spring and the projects are anticipated to be complete within 12 months. Other measures within the project include back-up generation and lighting improvements across some of the sites.

"The Town of Yampa is proud to be a part of the solar project and is looking forward to seeing the amazing benefits the solar panels will provide to our community" noted Yampa Town Clerk Sheila Symons.

"The Colorado Department of Local Affairs is pleased to provide these grants to so many impactful solar and resiliency projects across Northwest Colorado," said Greg Winkler, DOLA Regional Manager. "These projects will reduce our communities' reliance on fossil fuels, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and lower energy costs in these municipalities."

"This critical infrastructure project will significantly reduce utility costs and greatly increase the operational resiliency of the Yampa Valley Regional Airport" said Kevin Booth, Airport Director.

The DOLA Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Fund (EIAF) program was created to assist political subdivisions that are socially and/or economically impacted by the development, processing, or energy conversion of minerals and mineral fuels.

About McKinstry
McKinstry is a full-service, design-build-operate-and-maintain firm specializing in consulting, construction, energy and facility services. The firm's innovative, integrated delivery methodology provides clients with a single point of accountability that drives waste and redundancy out of the design/build process. With over 2,000 professional staff and trades people throughout the United States and operations in more than 20 states, McKinstry advocates collaborative, sustainable solutions designed to ensure occupant comfort, improve systems efficiency, reduce facility operational costs and optimize profitability "For The Life of Your Building." For more information, visit www.mckinstry.com

About the Department of Local Affairs Division of Local Government
DOLA's Division of Local Government (DLG) has been a strong voice for local governments across Colorado for over 50 years, and believes that strong local communities create a strong Colorado. DLG advocates for self-reliance, local empowerment, resilient practices and strong local leadership, which leads visioning, goal setting to strengthen, and economic development. DLG knows the strength of a community relies on strong building blocks to create long-lasting stability and an environment in which every resident can thrive. The Division of Local Government provides strategic expertise, advocacy, and funding to strengthen Colorado. The division promotes local problem solving, informs decision making and invests in communities. Learn more at https://cdola.colorado.gov/local-government