Leelanau County applied in February for $1.5 million in state funds to build two solar arrays on the government center campus in Suttons Bay. The grant process was competitive and over 50 organizations applied. The commission administering the grants announced Sept. 26 that Leelanau County would not be one of the recipients.
The grant proposal was prepared by Leelanau County’s Energy Futures Task Force (EFTF), a 14-member body consisting of citizens and three elected officials: county commissioners Melinda Lautner, Gwenne Allgaier, and Kama Ross. The task force chairman is Joe DeFors, president of the nonprofit Leelanau Energy.
DeFors said that even though Leelanau County was not one of the grant recipients listed in the awards announcement, there is still a “slim” chance that county will be offered funding if one of the other organizations backs out before Nov. 15. The EFTF is waiting for this date to pass before making further statements on their proposal.
