Article and Photos by Mary Alice Murphy

At Southwest Bone & Joint Institute, receipients and participants gathered for a group photo Thursday afternoon. They are from left, back congressional delegation representatives Melanie Goodman, Gabe Vasquez and Joe Baca. From left, front row are USDA Rural Development representative Kathy Barrett, Mike McMillan of SWB&JI, Jane Janson of the Small Business Development Center, USDA NM RD Director Terry Brunner, Mayor Michael Morones and Christine Logan, NM Economic Development Department representative.

Photo: At left, Mike McMillan, Southwest Bone & Joint Institute operations officer accepts certificate of completion from USDA NM Rural Development Director Terry Brunner.

Thursday afternoon at Southwest Bone & Joint Institute in Silver City, Mike McMillan, operations officer and athletic trainer, introduced the event by calling it a celebration of the facility's solar project.

Terry Brunner, U.S. Department of Agriculture New Mexico Rural Development director, said Rural Development has invested $1.4 billion in New Mexico for rural communities, "which are the heart and soul of the state. We have elected officials working together."

Photo: At right, Silver City Mayor Mike Morones waits to receive certificate from Brunner.

Brunner said USDA RD had helped finance the solar panels for $111,000 with the small business energy efficiency program. "We pay 25 percent of the costs, and the business puts it together with rebates to finance the project. These panels will save the business $3,000 to $4,000 a month, just by robbing the sun of its energy. I hope this spreads the word around Silver City. We had a rancher put in a solar system near Tyrone for his water pump."

Brunner said he has solar panels on his house. "All I have to do is hose down the panels once a year and I have a zero energy bill."

He noted that $83,000 has been allocated to Silver City for energy audits. "It's a low cost way to save money on energy. I commend Silver City for helping small businesses with their energy efficiency. I'm a big proponent of one-on-one business assistance. We can't do the work without our competent staff." He introduced Clyde Hudson and Kathy Barrett from the Las Cruces office, as USDA Rural Development area specialists.

"I'm happy I'm working with an agency that helps people and is supported by Congress," Brunner said.

Representatives of the Congressional delegation read statements that pertained to the solar project at Southwest Bone & Joint Institute, as well as the energy audits that the Silver City Office of Sustainability will be providing.

Melanie Goodman of Sen. Tom Udall's Las Cruces office said Silver City shows so much initiative on energy. She read a statement from Udall. "I also congratulate Southwest Bone & Joint Institute for their REAP (Rural Energy for America Program) grant. We must invest in renewable energy. We will continue to support the Office of Sustainability."

Gabe Vasquez of Sen. Martin Heinrich's Las Cruces office remarked that whenever he sees Terry Brunner, he know that good is happening. "My boss is proud to support rural development." In a statement from Heinrich, he read, "We are here to celebrate an investment in small business and to realize cost savings by diversifying energy. We promote the creation and funding of the Southwest Energy and Green Jobs Task Force."

Joe Baca of Congressman Steve Pearce's Las Cruces office read a statement from Pearce, which said he greatly appreciated USDA Rural Development's service to Silver City by facilitating solar for a small business and the energy audits. "Your efforts are an example to the communities around you."

McMillan said he and Dr. Brian Robinson, the owner of SWB&JI, explored going solar. "We knew it would be an investment in our business. When we learned about the grant, it made more sense, especially with the REAP grant. It is an investment in our organization and in our environment."

Brunner then presented a certificate to Silver City Mayor Mike Morones.

"It's always a pleasure to thank all our partners," Morones said. "Without them, it would be much more difficult to meet the absolute needs of the community. It's extremely important for a business to make the initial investment. We are also helping PNM achieve its goal of 20 percent renewable energy. I love the fact that Brunner is here, when we're doing the return on investment. When the USDA comes out with a 25 percent cost share, that helps those rebates and it makes it a four-to-six-year ROI.

"With the energy audits, if we do it here and in the neighboring communities, it will snowball," Morones predicted.

McMillan acknowledged Positive Energy for its role in the solar panel project, with the general contractor being New World Construction.

"The carport has 144 panels," McMillan said. "Thank all of you for being here."