Bloomingdale Public Schools will go out to bid a second time for a company to do work on a solar program the district is hoping will help offset infrastructure improvement costs to the district's three buildings.

During Tuesday's board of education meeting, Business Administrator George Hagl told the board that during the first round of bids, the district did not receive any proposals. 

"We've had a resurgence of interest from a company that did not submit a proposal," Hagl said, adding that the district would be making changes to the proposal before putting it out to bid again. These changes would include the installation of solar panels in the parking lots in the front and back of the buildings.

The district has been working with LAN Associates Director of Construction Angel Cabello on the bid specifications. The solar program would involve also placing solar panels on the roofs of the district buildings that could support them and having the district sell Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) for around $650 each. SRECs are energy credits that are bought or sold after the solar facilities that produce them have generated 1 MWh. They are mostly bought by electric suppliers so that the supplier can fulfill their renewable energy standards determined by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU).

During a Feb. 8 meeting,  Ronald Ianoale, an attorney with Ronald J. Ianoale, Esq., McManimon & Scotland, LLC, presented the solar program to the board and said that the panels would stay on the roofs for about 15 years. 

Hagl said the district is hoping to go out to bid for the second time in June. He also said the district is working with Butler Electric regarding the project.