The city of Pratt hosted an official groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for the Pratt Solar Farm, which could be the largest municipal-owned solar farm in Kansas when operational. Members of the Pratt City Commission, the Pratt County Commission and Pratt Community College were joined by representatives of Inovateus Solar, Kenyon Energy, Tortoise Financial Advisors and several bystanders to celebrate the teamwork and persistence that culminated in the promised coming of 37 acres of solar panels to provide Pratt citizens with electricity by October 2018.
“Initially we were aiming for a completion date sometime in January 2019,” said Jamie Huber, Pratt Director of Electrical Utilities. “But the panels are ordered and probably on their way here already to get ahead of any tariff problems and things will be happening rapidly now.”
Standing at a podium in the middle of a former wheat field, currently sporting windrow grass, Pratt Mayor Doug Meyer said it was good to see the teamwork of so many and the persistence of those who started this project come to fruition.
“This might be the only place in America where you can stand in one place and see a solar farm, an ethanol plant, wind turbines, a community college, a thriving town and productive farm ground,” Meyer said. “We are doing something very special here. We are telling the world that here in Pratt we are open for business. We want to grow. And it is all possible because of the teamwork of everyone rep- resented here. Teamwork and a lot of persistence is paying off.”
(Read more: Pratt, KS – Pratt Tribune)