Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies, and the real answers:
Question: Several years ago Asheville leaders heralded an impressive program to install solar panels and replace light bulbs that would reduce costs and actually pay for the purchase, installation, and maintenance of those items while saving the planet. Where can we see the aggregated costs associated with that program, and the ongoing savings being generated? Was the program successful? Was it even tracked? Does anyone care, or was it enough just to spend the money with good intentions?
My answer: Well, the city’s official motto is: “Asheville: Spending money with good intentions since 1797!”
Real answer: Both the city and Buncombe County have fairly extensive solar projects, and each has dashboards where you can track the financials and power production.
City of Asheville spokesperson Kim Miller said via email the aggregated cost of the solar project was $327,515. The figure is listed on the city’s capital projects dashboard under “aggregated solar projects.” You can also see the lifetime solar energy generated by each system on the city’s real-time renewables webpage.
“The program savings are generated by avoided energy costs,” Miller said. “The electricity generated by the solar panels is used onsite by the host facility, reducing reliance on utility company consumption.”
Also, the city sees additional savings as Duke Energy credits for electricity are distributed back to the grid.
“Based on the electricity generated from the four systems in the aggregated solar system project from April 2022-April 2024, these systems have saved an estimated $23,500,” Miller said.
The city adopted a goal in 2018 to power municipal operations with renewable energy by 2030.
The city has seven solar installations you can find on that real-time renewables page. They include two at fire stations, and one each at the Transit station, the Burton Street Community Center, the Shiloh Community Center, Grant Community Center and the Broadway Public Safety Station.
Asheville notes that the city and Buncombe County contracted with M.B. Haynes several years ago to install solar photovoltaic power generating systems at 45 sites throughout the county. While just five are listed on Buncombe County’s “Solar Installations” webpage, that’s misleading.
“Those projects did move forward, and in fact, most of them are either at or near completion,” Buncombe County spokesperson Lillian Govus said via email. “Soon, the county will be undergoing a revamp of its website. As a part of that process the Sustainability Office will be adding public links so residents can view the real-time production metrics for the solar projects we have installed at our own facilities and that of our partner agencies.”
Buncombe County Director of Sustainability Jeremiah LeRoy said the county also tracks the progress of its projects that are up and running, the resulting energy offset, and cost avoidance.
“There are still a handful of projects under construction, and a few that have not been online long enough to have sufficient data to report,” LeRoy said via email. “However, for those that have been operational long enough we have been tracking the pre and post installation data.”
So far the county has seen an aggregate cost reduction of between 40 and 60 percent in the utility bills for the sites with installed solar.
“That equates to between $5,000 and $9,000 per month depending on the group of facilities,” LeRoy said. “As more facilities come online in the coming months we will be developing a more detailed report to share with the County’s Energy and Environment Subcommittee and the general public.”
Buncombe also notes on its Solar Installations page that it “has adopted the ambitious goals of reaching 100% renewable energy for both its internal operations and for the community at large.
Question: When pharmaceuticals are taken to the various locations (police/fire station, pharmacy, etc.) to be turned in safely, where, exactly, are these drugs sent? How are they disposed of? Incinerated? Buried at the landfill? Other?
My answer: I’m not proud of this, but I suspect I got a lot of fish high by flushing pain meds down the commode after a couple of my orthopedic surgeries. Not the way to go, folks.
Real answer: The Asheville Police Department handles the disposal.
“Once a week, two technicians retrieve the ‘pharmaceuticals’ from the RX Dropbox located in our front lobby and take them to the APD property room,” department spokesperson Rick Rice said via email. “Those items are then all packaged together in a large heat-sealed clear bag, which is the packaging we use exclusively for drugs and drug paraphernalia.”
After packing and weighing, “APD then transfers it into its property under the ‘Annual Case Number’ that we pull specific to the RX Drop Box,” Rice said. “Those items are then stored in our secured drug vault until they are destroyed in our incinerator.”
Rice said APD documents each step via its records management system.
“Also, please note, because we cannot stress this enough, everything we do here requires the ‘two-person rule,’” Rice said. “Whenever a technician needs to go to the back secured area, they must be accompanied by a second technician.”
The same technique is used when they retrieve the pharmaceuticals from the drop box in the front lobby.
Question: I wanted to know the purpose of the numerous traffic counters all over town — Haywood Road, Biltmore Avenue — just to name a few. Is City Council trying to determine if we have a traffic problem? Are they thinking we need to add Pubcycle lanes to all major thoroughfares?
My answer: I’m just wondering when we break it to people on the Pubcycle that they’re not really moving the thing by themselves. Pssst…it’s got an electric motor in there, folks. Just relax and drink your beer.
Real answer: “The black cables on state-maintained roads are simply part of NCDOT’s Traffic Survey Group’s data collection program,” Anna Henderson, traffic engineer with the NCDOT’s Asheville office, said via email. “The group collects traffic data statewide to analyze and support planning, design, construction, maintenance, operation and research activities required to manage North Carolina’s transportation system.”
Miller, the city of Asheville spokesperson, confirmed that the city did not install the counters in place lately.
The NCDOT’s webpage about the traffic collection program states the department has more than 44,000 portable traffic count stations throughout North Carolina, and “the Traffic Survey Group usually collects data for interstate, U.S. and N.C. routes every year.
“Secondary road volumes are collected every two years with approximately half being counted each year,” the webpage notes. “Not all secondary roads having low volume, however, are counted.”
In the state’s 19 major urbanized areas, which includes Asheville, data is collected on a two-year cycle. We’re on cycle for the even-numbered years.
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/donate.