NORTHFIELD – A Thursday public hearing continued from February had conversation specific to “Array A” of a proposed solar array along Pine Meadow Road, and the Planning Board has scheduled to reconvene April 1 for deliberation and a potential vote.
“I think we’ve had tons of meetings, both formally and informally, and I think were at the point where its time to make a decision,” Planning Board Chair Stephen Seredynski said after two and a half hours of discussion Thursday.
While this week’s conversation was focused on a single section of the site plan, Solar Array A, the total project would consist of three solar arrays on land owned by the L’Etoile family and Four Star Farms off Pine Meadow Road. As an agricultural dual-use project, the plan is to continue the agricultural use of the property while supporting the on-site operations.
Speaking during this week’s continuation, BlueWave Solar Director of Project Development Jackie Firsty said the company had taken into account comments from an initial public hearing Feb. 18. She said they have been holding conversations with Rich Holschuch who serves on the Vermont Commission for Native American Affairs and as a public liaison for the Elnu Abenaki Tribe, as well as Historical Commission Chair and Selectboard member Barbara “Bee” Jacque about comments and concerns they brought up last month.
Last month, Holschuch and Jacque raised concerns about disturbing the land and the affect on any historical or archeological value through the construction process and installation of in-ground wiring. This week, Firsty said BlueWave was looking to hire an archeological consultant and were working with Holschuch to design an above ground wiring system from the solar panel equipment pad to an interconnection point at the site’s access road entrance.
Planning Board member Homer Stavely this week also asked about the impact installation would have on the soil and land, and clarity on whether equipment would be installed by screwing into the ground or through pile driving. He also asked about the impact of removing equipment should the project be decommissioned.
“Pile driving and screws are both options pending the final geotechnical report on the site, those are both the two lowest impact options that we have and it just depends on what the soil type can handle,” Firsty said Thursday.
She said they wouldn’t determine between pile driving or screwing in equipment until the geotechnical survey was completed, closer to the construction process. Fellow BlueWave Solar developer Iain Ward said that, from an agricultural perspective, there would be efforts to reduce soil compaction during construction, as well at the end of the project, because “the goal is to maintain the health and viability” of the soil. BlueWave Solar has not decommissioned any previously established projects of its own, but other solar companies have. Representatives Thursday said similar solar projects have an average “20-year life span,” so to date there haven’t been a lot of decommissioned projects to draw data from.
On Friday, Seredynski notified residents via a post on NextDoor, an online community forum, that Blue Wave Solar had responded to a report issued by a hired consultant from Beacon Integrated Solutions. The response is in three sections pertaining to each array, and may be viewed on the planning board page on the town website, under the “submitted site plans” tab. An updated plan for Solar Array A is also available on this page.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.