The Peru Gazette

Roger’s House Panels

St. Vincent’s Thrift Store panels

By John T. Ryan

Many of the thousands of people who crowded the St. Augustine’s Parish Center grounds during the September 19-20 Applefest were surprised to find solar panels behind the St. Vincent’s Thrift Store and Roger’s House. If they looked across Main Street behind St. Augustine’s Cemetery they saw a much larger solar panel array being erected. When fully operational the system will supply most of the power needs of St. Augustine’s Church, the parish’s maintenance garage, the former St. Vincent’s Thrift Store, the rectory, the current St. Vincent’s Thrift Store and Roger’s House, the parish’s household goods/Christmas shop.

St. Augustine’s Pastor Reverend Alan Shnob explained, “I started thinking about solar panels when Bishop LaValley installed a solar system at his residence in Ogdensburg. I think they confirm the Holy Father’s call to conserve the world’s resources. They’re also about more than saving energy. They’re a sign that our parish is looking to the future. We’re looking to future generations. We’re passing on a legacy to them.”

The project is financially feasible thanks to the generosity of St. Augustine’s parishioners, parish savings, the hard work of St. Vincent’s Thrift Store and Roger’s House volunteers, a $30,000 New York Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) grant and a $20,000 gift from St. Augustine’s Knights of Columbus Council 7273. Edge Design and Consulting in Plattsburgh is the project designer and installer.

On Saturday, October 3rd, Bishop Terry A. LaValley will bless the panels following the 4:30 p.m. Mass where Bishop LaValley will assist in the initiation of a Junior Catholic Daughters Court in the parish; another indication the parish is looking to the future.

Panels being erected behind St. Augustine’s Cemetery

Panels being erected behind St. Augustine’s Cemetery.