BERNARDSTON — Wetlands and flooding problems will be on the table when hearings continue on Tuesday for the solar farm that is proposed for the west side of Route 5 in central Bernardston.
The Conservation Commission hearing reopens at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, with the Planning Board’s hearing scheduled for 7:30 to allow for overlap between the two. They will be meeting with consultants who were hired to look at the project’s proposed stormwater management features and the project’s concessions to surrounding wetlands.
As of Oct. 16, the latest design seems to correctly accommodate the wetlands, the wetland consultant told the Conservation Commission.
But there is a patch of wetland at the southwest corner of the field that must be re-examined, the Conservation Commission says. On the map being used by the project designers, at least part of the patch in question is cut off at the corner of the image, so it is not clear whether it extends and connects to a larger wetland or if it is isolated.
If it’s isolated, it doesn’t fall within the Conservation Commission’s legal jurisdiction, so it won’t affect the town’s hearings. But if it is part of a larger wetland, the Conservation Commission may need to require another revision to the project’s design, further lengthening the hearing, which the commission began in July.
The Conservation Commission expects to have that answer at the meeting this Tuesday, provided that the owner of the neighboring property onto which this patch of wetland may extend allows the consultant to access the land.
But most of this Tuesday’s meeting will likely focus on the stormwater consultant’s work, which has not yet been presented publicly, and could, depending on the results, necessitate further revisions to the project design.
Some people have complained the solar farm may redirect water runoff in ways that will hurt the town.
Contact Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261.