By Mike Gervais
Register Staff
10-23-2008

If you don’t want it, can we have it?
That was the question Healthy Communities of Southern Inyo Director Charles James posed to the Inyo County Board of Supervisors Tuesday in regards to a set of solar panels at the abandoned Big Pine Care Center.
James hopes that the county will be willing to declare the solar panels as surplus, and donate them to either the Independence or Lone Pine school district. From there, Healthy Communities hopes to use the solar panels as an effective and “green” means to heat the pools, allowing for longer swim seasons and more recreational opportunities.
Healthy Communities hopes that utilizing the solar panels to heat the pools in Independence and Lone Pine would help their efforts to revamp swim programs in those communities.

“Getting in and out of a cold swimming pool is no fun, especially when you get older,” James said, noting that the Lone Pine pool was at a steady 76 degrees throughout the summer. “That is just way too cold, especially for young kids or the elderly.”
James said a comfortable pool temperature would encourage more youngsters to take advantage of pool activities. That “comfortable” temperature, he said, is between 80 and 82 degrees.
“I bought everything required for water aerobics, but the water is too cold for it,” James said, adding that Southern Inyo Hospital in Lone Pine has also expressed an interest in using the community pool for physical therapy and other patient services, but again, the pool is too cold for young kids and the elderly.
For the first time in several years swim lessons were offered at the Independence pool this past summer. According to James, the lessons were an immediate success, but he would expect an even better turn-out next year if the pools were warmer.
“The Public Works Department said the panels are worthless and can’t be repaired,” said Fourth District Supervisor Jim Bilyeu, encouraging the board to donate the solar panels to Healthy Communities.
According to Public Works Director Doug Wilson, the county has no future plans for the panels, which would most likely be demolished along with the care center if the county decides to tear down the building.

James said Steve Cupp, of The Energy Source in Bishop, has volunteered to remove and inspect a couple of the solar panels to see if they are functional and appropriate for use to heat the pools.
James said that Cupp’s offer is a valuable resource because part of the process of assessing solar panels is testing the pressure in copper tubes on the panels that requires specialized equipment.
The supervisors were not fond of that idea of allowing Cupp to remove the solar panels, citing the liability issues that could arise with non-county staff working at the dilapidated care center, but offered to direct county Public Works staff to remove one or more of the panels to allow Cupp, and possibly other non-profits or government agencies who express an interest in them, to inspect the panels to determine if they will suit their needs.
Staff has been directed to take that task on, but before the county can donate the panels, they must go through the proper procedures.
In order to donate the solar panels, or any other county property, the board must pass a resolution declaring the items “surplus.”
County Counsel Paul Bruce advised that the county can turn the panels over directly to either Independence or Lone Pine school rather than Healthy Communities of Southern Inyo, which manages the Lone Pine Pool, because “it will be easier to donate to a public entity,” rather than to the private nonprofit.
The supervisors scheduled an agenda item for one of their next two meetings, either Tuesday, Nov. 4 or Tuesday, Oct. 28, to consider surplusing and donating the panels.
“Hopefully by this time next year you’ll have warm water in the pools,” First District Supervisor Linda Arcularius said.