On Nickels' wish list: solar panels atop Qwest Field hall

A group of big-city mayors, including Seattle's Greg Nickels, met with President-elect Obama Thursday to promote a giant wish list of public-works projects in cities around the country in an effort to jump-start the stalled economy.

Among the thousands of requests was one of Nickels' bigger-ticket items: $7 million to put some 700 solar panels atop Qwest Field Exhibition Hall.

Nickels is vice president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which compiled the list. The report describes the projects as benefiting "infrastructure," but among the thousands of municipal projects are several that go beyond paving streets and replacing water mains — among them, Nickels' solar panels; funding for a new water slide in Florida; and a polar-bear exhibit in Rhode Island.

Qwest Field and its adjoining exhibition hall are publicly owned. State taxes help pay for their operation. But Seahawks owner Paul Allen's company owns the team and manages events at both facilities. Oversight is provided by a public stadium authority.

Savings from the use of solar panels would go back into the stadium's operation budget.

Nickels was unapologetic about the benefit of demonstrating how solar panels can work here in Seattle. "There are real needs out there, and for our country to take this opportunity ... to not just send people checks like the last one, but create something of lasting impact."

Obama and his economic advisers are working on a stimulus plan that would cut taxes and increase spending by bailing out state and local governments that are slashing social services because of the housing crisis. That includes Washington state, where Gov. Christine Gregoire is counting on $1 billion from the federal government to help balance this state's budget.

Obama also says he wants to create 2.5 million jobs by 2011. More than 11,000 projects contained in the Dec. 8 mayors' conference report would create about half that many, according to its own estimates. Of course, there's no guarantee the government will fund any of the projects.

The idea of lining the roof of the Qwest exhibition center with solar panels surfaced about six months ago, said Darryl Benge, the assistant general manager of First & Goal, which manages facilities and events at Qwest and the Center for Allen's Vulcan Sports.

"This would probably be the largest solar grid west of the Cascades," Benge said.

But it's not something his company pushed, he said. It's expensive, Benge said, and would only save the exhibition center an estimated 12 to 14 percent on its annual energy costs. The $7 million funding request is estimated to pay for the entire installation, he said.

Nickels said he sees it as a project that saves energy and serves as a billboard for solar energy, even in sun-starved Seattle. It was first suggested that the panels be placed on top of the stadium itself, but the curved roof posed an installation problem.

"Conservation in and of itself is a public good, and we're going to be investing heavily in that," Nickels said.

Nickels and the other mayors in the conference say some of Obama's stimulus package should go to metropolitan areas, where most people live and most energy is consumed. And Nickels argued that the projects should be environmentally responsible.

City leaders aren't the only ones vying for federal dollars. Special-interest groups and industry representatives are also lobbying the government for help on projects they say would create jobs right away.

"They're trying to take advantage of the handout that the federal government's offering," said Michael Ennis, the transportation director at the Washington Policy Center and an Enumclaw City Council member. Ennis said he doesn't think cities should take it: "It's not free money. It's taxpayers' money, just distributed over a larger base."

The Qwest project is among the most expensive requests by cities in Washington state. Elsewhere, Yarrow Point wants to fix up its fountain. Bellevue wants to replace old sewer mains. Auburn wants new fencing at its commuter airport.

In Seattle, many of the mayor's recommendations represent small projects: money for widening roads, upgrading plumbing, fixing up space for a nutritional program in the Chinatown/International District and a teen-parenting program in Magnolia. Nickels wants to replace the sewer main under the Ballard Northwest Senior Center, add solar hot water at the Ballard swimming pool and upgrade lighting at the Woodland Park Zoo.

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246 or eheffter@seattletimes.com