Pekin superintendent gives update on solar array, land bequest

PACKWOOD – Pekin Superintendent Dave Harper appeared before the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors during its meeting Monday, Feb. 9 to speak about a few projects and programs underway in the district.

One of the topics Harper discussed was the recent news about the future paving of 110th Street between Packwood and Pekin schools. U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks announced on Feb. 5 that federal funding had been secured for the project, and Jefferson County Engineer DeWayne Heintz said it will take at least a year to bid the project so it would be done either the summer of 2027 or the following year.

Harper also thanked the board for the partnership between Pekin schools and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office that has allowed the district to have a fulltime school resource officer, Deputy Angie Pohren. Pohren began her role on a part-time basis in the fall of 2022 before becoming full-time the following year.

“She’s done an amazing job of building relationships with our kids,” Harper said about Pohren. “Having an extra layer of safety for us in that corner of the county has been huge for the community and our families.”

Pekin is on the cusp of connecting 1,000 new solar panels to the school that were built just north of it in a bean field. The district’s first round of solar panels supplied electricity to the high school starting in 2018, and now the elementary wing is powered by solar as well. Harper said the addition of this most recent solar array will save the district between $30,000-$40,000 every year on its electric bill. The district is waiting on Alliant Energy to approve the final steps in the project.

Lastly, Harper informed the board of a generous bequest that will go to Pekin’s FFA program and to college scholarships. Roland and Arlo McCreery were both graduates of Ollie High School, and the couple operated the Pekin Elevator for many years after purchasing it in 1957. Arlo passed in 2021 at the age of 92 and Roland passed this last August at the age of 95. The couple were generous donors to local causes, and one of those was bequeathing about 270 acres to the Pekin school district.

The bequest had a few stipulations, and they were that money would be set aside for Pekin FFA and for college scholarships. Harper said that the cash rent from the land will be used to fund multiple scholarships, including two $10,000 scholarships for students entering an agricultural field.

“With the support for the FFA program, we’re pretty excited about that, because we’re starting a drone certification program,” Harper said.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com