City of Lincoln closes down pickleball courts for $17.9 million solar project
The McBean pickleball courts in Lincoln will be shut down starting March 16 for construction related to a $17.9 million city solar project.
The project is also tied to the downtown parking closure connected to the City Solar Project approved in April 2024.
The city of Lincoln entered into a 20-year lease with an initial principal amount of $11.7 million at an interest rate of 4.368%. The average annual lease payment is expected to be $944,482.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $17.9 million.
The city aims to save $3.2 million by using federal Inflation Reduction Act funds for a prepayment, bringing the total city cost to $14.7 million. Under that scenario, annual lease payments would be $735,155.
Lincoln estimates the project will generate net savings of $19.2 million over the next 30 years. The savings are expected to come from energy savings, operations and maintenance savings, renewable energy credits, and the Direct Pay Investment Tax Credit.
The pickleball courts are expected to be covered by a shaded solar panel structure by the end of May, according to the city’s Facebook post.
The project plan states that the city will install solar infrastructure at city-owned facilities to improve long-term energy efficiency and reduce operational costs.
SiteLogic is partnering with the city on the project.
The solar project also closed the City Hall parking lot on Jan. 8. That lot is expected to remain closed through the end of the month. The Sixth and F streets parking lot will close after construction at the City Hall lot is completed.
