Workers on the Roof
Since the return from Winter Break, the Ramapo student body has been asking a common question: What is going on with the roof? Construction started around January, but these plans have been in the works since 2022. Workers have been operating, inconveniently, during the school day. Even seniors feel the pain of the nonstop footsteps and banging. Chris Parks has noted that the workers are quite distracting during the school day and said he “dislikes how [he] cannot focus constantly in [his] classes.” It was later on revealed, upon student research of the Board of Education meetings, that solar panels were being installed. Ramapo is going greener than ever, but at what cost to the students’ quality of education?
The Plans
The Board released a request for proposals on June 9, 2022, asking eligible proposers to submit offers for a Power Purchase Agreement that would use photovoltaic electricity generation. The acquisition was carried out using a competitive contracting approach in accordance with a Green Energy law New Jersey passed recently. The meeting had multiple proposals from energy companies, but DCO Energy was awarded the job. The project is estimated to cost nearly five million dollars, but over the next 15 years after installation, the savings will have covered purchase costs, and positive cash flow from savings will be present thereafter (DCO Energy Proposal).
200s Hallway Affected Harshly
The hallway that has been most affected is hands-down the 200s English wing. Mr. Mayer, a history teacher in said hallway stated, “It will have long-term benefits without a doubt, but in the meantime, it has created issues in the classroom.” He added, “On a day-to-day basis it can be ignored but during Quarterly Week the students can be a little more tense. Some students really struggle with that added distraction.” As a student in Mr. Manzo’s class across the hall, I can attest it is not an everyday issue for myself or my peers. However, during a test, it could become an issue. Mr. Mayer then finally said, “In a perfect world the job would have been done during February Break while everyone was away, but the job has been going on for months and you can’t plan for the weather.”
Looking Ahead
This decision will raise the budget surplus in the end to the districts, which is always a positive side. The Board of Education took years for this decision to be made, so it seems as though the best case scenario is a little distraction to the students towards the ultimate goal of green energy. Once the project is over, I believe students at Ramapo will be happy with the decision for Ramapo to go green, but for now it is a slight nuisance.
