Sparks Police Department installs $1 million carports
The Sparks Police Department on Prater Way is the newest home of a $1 million solar photovoltaic system that doubles as a carport for employee’s cars.
Constuction continues on one row of the solar photovoltaic system at the Sparks Police Station.
Hamilton Solar, Inc. was chosen to do the project that broke ground in November. Chad Dickason, one of three Hamilton Solar principals, said his company is responsible for the carport design, structural and electrical engineering, site inspections and installation of the project.
Dickason said the pole-mounted carport design was a better fit for the police station than a roof-mounted design because of many factors, one of which being the location of the parking lot.
“What we find with roof-mount systems is that not every roof is a good location for solar,” Dickason said. “The parking lot ended up being the perfect size for the customer and the perfect location.”
The parking lot’s location was not the only thing that made Hamilton Solar chose it instead the roof.
“Another thing is that when you put solar panels on the roof you end up penetrating the roof,” Dickason said. “So you’re putting holes in the roof.”
Pete Etchart, Sparks deputy public works director, said one of the main reasons that planners choose to install solar panels as carports is because people like to park under covered spots.
Every business doesn't chose to use the carport design though, according to Etchart.
“Vandalism is always a concern when planning to install solar panels,” said Etchart, who leads the Sparks Sustainability Committee. “But the police department is an ideal location because it’s gated, under surveillance, and patrolled by officers 24/7.”
Boxes of solar panels wait in the Hamilton Solar warehouse, waiting to be installed in Phase Two of the Sparks Police Department project.
Etchart said everything about the police station’s parking lot works perfectly with a carport design as opposed to a roof-mount option. He said that if the solar panels were installed on the roof the system would only provide about 50 kilowatts of energy because of its size. But the carport design allows for a 300 kilowatt system, according to Etchart.
"The parking lot is a better option," Etchart said. "You're already parking there anyway, so now we're multi-using the lot by parking and creating energy."
Although the project had a $1 million price tag, Etchart said no money came out of pocket from the city of Sparks. The project was paid for through federal grants and rebates from NV Energy. Etchart added that when the project is complete it should save the city about $60,000 annually with reduced electric bills.
So far, only one row of the pole-mounted solar panels has been installed.
Officer Brian Miller, Commander of Patrol for the Sparks Police Department, said every parking spot in the lot will be covered with solar panels by next January.
“Their primary function is to generate electricity,” said Miller, who has been with the Sparks Police Department for 17 years. “But one of the added benefits is that is provides at least partial cover for patrol cars, detective cars and cars of employees that work here.”
This row of solar panels acts as a carport to protect patrol cars and motorcycles.
Miller said one of the benefits of the pole-mounted solar panels is the protection they provide because there are a lot of delicate electronics inside the patrol cars.
“The cars are exposed to extremes, both hot and cold, and the panels help keep a little bit of heat in during the winter and keep the sun off in the summer,” Miller said. “That will extend the life of the electronics in the cars, especially the touch screens because the temperatures get pretty high sometimes.”
With winter snow just around the corner, Miller said because the panels are angled toward the sun that snow should slide off quickly if and when a storm hits.
“The angle is set in relation to the sun to try to generate as much energy as possible,” Miller said. “And because they are dark colored they should absorb heat, melt and have the snow slide off quickly.”
Miller said it will be nice not having to scrape snow and ice off of his patrol car anymore because of the solar panels.
“But the carports don’t protect everything,” Miller said. “Almost half of my car still sticks out.”
Touchdown Tuesdays takes a week off
Tuesday Oct. 26 was an unfamiliar sight for the ASUN Bookstore on campus at the University of Nevada, Reno – it was empty for the majority of the day.
“There was a significant drop in sales last Tuesday,” said Michael Leonhard, the ASUN Bookstore operations manager. “Touchdown Tuesdays played a big role in that.”
The ASUN Bookstore entrance is a ghost town on Oct. 26, due in part because there was no Touchdown Tuesday discount.
Touchdown Tuesdays is a discount program provided by the ASUN Bookstore. Shoppers get five percent off all clothing, general book and gift items for every touchdown the Nevada football team scores during the game prior to each Tuesday.
Leonhard said the Touchdown Tuesday program is helping keep the bookstore afloat because sales are down as a whole this year compared to last year.
“We’re not getting the foot traffic on non-Tuesdays,” Leonhard said. “So this program helps bring in customers that wouldn’t normally be in.”
Leonhard said the bye week the Nevada football team had hurt the bookstore’s sales. He said clothing sales were down 50 percent compared to the week before.
Tuesdays are normally a feeding frenzy at the bookstore. Check-out lines extend past the make-up counter and sometimes overflow into the appropriately named “computer den” section of the store. Hordes of savvy shoppers with their minds set on saving money come barreling through the front doors all day.
But Oct. 26 was different. A cashier working a register was telling a co-worker all the juicy gossip she got over the weekend. It appeared as though she did not have a single customer for a ten minute period.
The ASUN Bookstore is empty on Oct. 26, due in part to the Touchdown Tuesdays bye week.
A lone student stood staring at a t-shirt with “Wolf Pack” spelled out in sign language. He said he was shopping for a friend’s birthday present. He decided to wait another week before pulling the trigger on the purchase.
Part of the reason the bookstore was empty, besides the before mentioned hesitant student, could be attributed to the bye week the Nevada football team had. Because there was no football game the popular Touchdown Tuesdays discount also took the week off.
Although the bye week stopped people from making purchases, it didn’t stop some people from coming in the store. Elementary education major Jennifer Botto, 21, said she used the slow day to scope out her next purchases.
“I like pre-shopping,” Botto said. “That way I don’t feel hurried when I come during the mad rush.”
Stay-at-home mother Nancy Clark, a first-time Touchdown Tuesday shopper, said she heard about the program from a friend and couldn’t miss her chance to save valuable money. She came into the bookstore on Nov. 2 after Nevada scored eight touchdowns against Utah State, giving her 40 percent off.
“Saving money right now is important,” Clark said. “Especially since the holiday season is quickly approaching.”
Nevada has been averaging 5.6 touchdowns so far this season. This means shoppers have been saving around 25 percent off their Tuesday purchases, making a $49.99 sweatshirt $39.99 and a $7.99 lanyard $6.39.
“Every penny I can save helps,” Clark said. “I’m going to start keeping an eye on how many touchdowns Nevada scores each week.”
Kelly Smiley, 20, said she knows people that are paying more attention to Nevada football just because of the discount program.
"Whether it's for the right reasons or not people seem to care more now," Smiley, a mathematics major said. "I watch because I'm a fan first and for the discounts second."
The Touchdown Tuesday discounts are honored for every game, played home or away, for in-store purchases only. The program has been a staple of the ASUN Bookstore since Sept. 28, 2009 and is expected to continue indefinitely, as long as a game is played.
Leonhard said the program might extend into the basketball season with Three Point Thursdays, but nothing is set in stone as of yet.
Get your early vote on!
Marika Dimitriandis, a 30-year-old UNR alumna, uses sidewalk chalk to direct students to the early voting polls.
Jordan Butler, a 24-year-old UNR alumnus, volunteers at an election booth to answer questions and direct people to the early voting polls.
Balloons advertise early voting that is taking place on campus at UNR in the Joe Crowley Student Union.
On Campus Reporting — Food of choice.
Question of the day: Where is your favorite place to eat on campus?
Monica Kelly, 18, education student: “I eat at Panda Express and Port of Subs. It’s easy and convenient. I usually get orange chicken and fried rice.
Joel Langford, 20, chemistry student: “I eat at Las Trojes. I like speaking Spanish to the lady that sells the food.”
Dominoe Imus, 23, English and history student: “I used to get Spudistro last semester. But now that it's closed I eat Port of Subs. Subway is better though."
Desiree Davis, 20, nursing student: “I don’t really eat on campus. I bring my lunch for money and health reasons.”
Caitlin Kemper, 18, biochemistry student: “I eat at Port of Subs like it’s my job. I always get a number one. I’ve been getting it since I was a little kid.”
Reno Barons coming to town.
Reno is the newest destination for another sports team with the arrival of the Barons, a professional indoor football team, scheduled to start their inaugural season in 2011.
Jarrod Rogol, the Reno Barons’ special teams coordinator and offensive assistant coach, said that Reno is the ideal place for the Barons to play because of the city and community.
“Reno’s location is perfect and it is a college town,” Rogol said. “Anytime there is a college nearby to draw from it is huge.”
Reno Barons tryouts on Sept. 17. Photo by Colin Nicolai
The amount of locals that went to the tryouts held Sept. 17 at the Golden Eagle Regional Park in Sparks reaffirmed that claim for Rogol. Seventy out of the 80 people that tried out were from the Reno-Sparks area, according to Rogol.
Andrew Blackmore, a 24-year-old Sparks resident and self-proclaimed future Barons fan, said that the Reno Barons is going to be good for high school and college graduates that didn’t get drafted into the NFL.
“The opportunity to play for the Barons will allow them to still do what they love to do and get paid for it,” Blackmore said. “That’s what everyone’s trying to do.”
Ondra Berry, who played on the University of St. Mary’s football team in college, was one of the locals that tried out to make the Reno Barons’ 30-player roster. He said he was excited at the opportunity to play for the hometown team.
“It's a dream for most athletes to be able to play in front of family and friends,” said Berry, who graduated from Reno High School in 2004. “It makes it nice to have an opportunity to be able to be home and enjoy this community each game.”
Krystle Berry, Ondra Berry’s wife, was in the stands during the tryout cheering her husband on. She said she is glad to see Reno bring more sports teams to the area.
“By bringing family sports into the city we have a well rounded environment for all types of sports fans,” Krystle Berry said. “I’m not really a baseball fan so bringing football in will make me more excited.”
The Reno Barons’ organization is hoping to draw upon the same success that the Aces, Reno’s minor league baseball franchise, has had in the past. Rogol said one of the selling points of indoor football that separates itself from other sports is the interaction between fans and players during and after each game.
“The fan involvement is incomparable to anything else,” Rogol said. “During an indoor football game there is a chance a player might end up in your lap after being knocked off the field.”
Rogol said that fans usually end up on the field and players end up in the stands after every game for autographs, helping to create a unique sports experience.
“Every fan will be able to get an autograph at each and every game,” Rogol said.
Unfortunately, there will be no autograph signings until 2011 since the Reno Barons just signed their contract with the American Indoor Football Association and the 2010 season is already over. But that is good news for the Barons because although tryouts are over and done with, they are still in the process of finalizing their roster.
The Reno Barons are also looking for a defensive coordinator and interns to join their team. University of Nevada, Reno students are encouraged to apply for the intern positions available in marketing, media relations and community relations. Interested applicants can e-mail Jarrod Rogol or call (314) 397-0595.
