Van Buren Schools Awarded $400K Grant Providing Energy Upgrades  

The Van Buren County School System has been awarded a $400,000 TVA Uplift Grant and Solar Pavilion.

Director of Schools Cheryl Cole said this grant will address lighting at Spencer Elementary and Van Buren County High School. Cole said a preliminary location of the solar pavilion has been determined.

“It’s an outdoor classroom and they came and looked at the best spot,” Cole said. “They like it out here beside the fifth grade playground, is where they’re wanting to put it. Because of the drainage and all that kind of stuff too… I’m excited about it, I’ve been very excited about it.”

Cole said this will also provide funding for HVAC at the high school. Cole said she will be getting more paperwork from TVA at the end of April, and the school board will have to meet before May 14 in order for TVA to proceed on the project.

“We have to have a board meeting before the 14th, so I’m looking at the 12th,” Cole said. “Because stuff has to be signed, we have to have board approval before they’ll proceed.”

Cole said that she was waiting on press release involving the grant before she would go into any further details. However, Cole said that for all the projects combined it might be a little over $400,000 and they intend to use all of the grant funding from TVA.