Watertown City Council to Vote on $2.84M Airport Solar Array Contract Monday
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD – Northeast Radio SD News has followed this bid trail since October 2025, and now, the City of Watertown is moving closer to “breaking ground” on its ambitious renewable energy upgrade at the Watertown Regional Airport.
On Monday night, the Watertown City Council will consider awarding a $2,842,228.13 contract to Wescom, Inc. for the installation of the 2027 Airport Solar Array Installation (Project No. 2618) as part of its consent agenda. Unless a council member requests it be specifically put on the regular agenda for discussion and individual vote will be approved in one vote with the rest of the consent agenda items.
The project comes in under the original $3,650,000 engineer’s estimate. All five contractor proposals opened on August 12 beat the projected cost, with Duluth, Minnesota-based Wescom, Inc. emerging as the lowest responsive bidder.
Technical Specs: Carports, Inverters, and an Electric Boiler
The major capital upgrade will construct a commercial solar generation facility directly over the airport's existing terminal parking stalls using custom carport support structures. Key components of the system include:
· 1,350 ZNShine 550W Solar Modules: Spanning approximately one acre of elevated carport structures.
· Electrical System: Five 100 kW AC CPS 480V 3-phase power inverters, new switchboards, conduit, wiring, carport lighting, and camera conduits.
· Electric Boiler Integration: An upgraded electric boiler system designed to heat the terminal facility efficiently using self-generated solar energy.
Once operational, the system will generate a substantial portion of the electricity needed to power the terminal building, offsetting the airport’s baseline electrical overhead, which has historically consumed up to one-fifth of the facility’s operating budget. Private hangars and airport vendors will remain on their existing individual power services.
Multi-Tiered Grant Funding Stack
The core solar array construction (base bid) is structured to rely heavily on federal and state aviation funds. Funding will be supplied through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP Grant No. 3-46-0058-050-2026) alongside the FAA’s Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) Grant.
· Federal Share (AIP / VALE): 95%
· State Share (DOT): 2.5%
· Local Municipal Match: 2.5%
The award motion before the council is contingent upon final grant execution from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The project's alternate bid of $145,000 for the electric boiler installation will be funded locally through city municipal accounts.
Bids Summary
Five contractors submitted proposals for Project No. 2618 on August 12:
1. Wescom, Inc. (Duluth, MN): $2,842,228.13 (Base + Alternate)
2. Vikor (Sioux Falls, SD): $3,043,051.00
3. Centre Electric, Inc. (Sauk Centre, MN): $3,066,805.00
4. Sentry, LLC (Watertown, SD): $3,399,241.00
5. Blue Horizon Energy, LLC (Plymouth, MN): $3,672,802.82
Project oversight will be managed by Airport Manager Ian Meriwether-Chalfant and City Engineer Justin Peterson.
The Watertown City Council meets Monday, August 17, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
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