City issues new proposal requests for landfill greenhouse

The city of Springfield issued modified requests for proposal to potential partners interested in building a commercial greenhouse at the Noble Hill Landfill Renewable Energy Center.

The RFPs factor in feedback from growers, schools, markets, nonprofits and businesses from the last several years. Interested parties have 120 days to submit a proposal, according to a news release.

City officials in 2010 began exploring the feasibility of a greenhouse at the landfill north of Springfield. Officials previously pointed to a roughly $2 million to $2.5 million cost for the greenhouse. City spokeswoman Kristen Milam said the project cost would depend on the applications for the latest RFP round.

In the release, officials said the proposed four-acre greenhouse would be powered by waste heat and electric power from the Noble Hill Landfill Renewable Energy Center. The center, a partnership between the city and City Utilities, began delivering electricity to CU customers in 2006. A generator converts methane gas produced by the city's landfill, providing 3.2 megawatts of electricity to some 2,100 customers. It produces roughly 14 million British thermal units of waste heat per hour.

The updated RFPs require applicants to show how they would:
    •    utilize the waste heat;
    •    grow produce;
    •    distribute job training and education resources;
    •    work with local food pantries;
    •    provide job development opportunities;
    •    introduce infrastructure; and
    •    move forward on community innovation initiatives.