A walking trail is planned for the Millville School District’s grounds in the central part of the state, and one important part of that project will be installing kiosks with maps and information about the 1.5-mile path. The stands also need to be lit up at night for safety.
Problem is the kiosks need to be placed far away from any building, which means it wouldn’t make much sense to install a standard electrical line. So the SEDA-Council of Governments, which is working with the school district on the trail project, proposed an increasingly popular source of nighttime illumination: Solar power.
Adam Wynn, an urban and regional planner with SEDA-COG, said the idea of solar-powered information stands came from his experience working as a landscape architect in Boston, where he worked on outdoor classrooms. Solar panels would generate electricity without a power line and carry a message of sustainability.
The trail is expected to be complete this fall. Wynn says plans for the kiosks have not been finalized. One proposal, thought, would get students involved with building them along with professional installers.
Source: Adam Wynn, SEDA-Council of Governments
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen
