Title
Resolution to Approve Change Order No. 2 to the Contract with?Melink?Solar, LLC for Solar Installations at the Wheeler Service Center to Cover Additional Project Costs of $265,433.15 (Total Contract amount: $3,328,637.15) (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
In November 2023, City Council approved four construction contracts with?Melink?Solar, LLC ("Melink") for behind-the-meter solar installations at designated City sites (R-23-423). These contracts cover solar installations at various City facilities, including the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport, Steere Farm Wells, Water Resource Recovery Facility, and Wheeler Service Center ("Wheeler"). Staff have been working with Melink to build these systems over the last eighteen months. Due to the size of the proposed solar system at Wheeler, the team was required to undertake additional assessments.
The Wheeler solar system was originally competing for space with the grid-scale landfill solar project that was planned with DTE (the project was known as the "landfill solar" project). For that reason, there was limited available space for solar at the site during initial design. However, when the decision was made to put the landfill solar project on hold, the project team decided to utilize this space for the installation of the behind the meter solar system for Wheeler. This would eliminate the need to modify the existing PUD and the chosen location was the closest feasible location to the interconnection point that can accommodate the array: it is in a field to the south of the Wheeler Service Cetner.
As the team was making this design adjustment, it was also completing the necessary interconnection studies and work with Pittsfield Township to ensure the designed system met all requirements of the PUD. Through these engagements and studies, additional costs were identified. Those additional costs were: 1) increased electrical costs to run conduit, 2) costs associated with a longer access road for use during constru...
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