NORTHFIELD — Seeking more information from an expert in water resource management, the Planning Board opted to continue its public hearing on the solar array being proposed for Pine Meadow Road to Thursday, Aug. 20.
The proposal by BlueWave Solar calls for a 4,316-panel solar array within a fenced-in area, and while the company currently does not have a farming contract executed, the proposal calls for a local partner to produce vegetables within the array. BlueWave Solar had previously gained approval in 2021 to construct a three-array, 26,000-panel, 10.9-megawatt project on the same road.
Planning Board Chair Margaret “Meg” Riordan said this week that after BlueWave Solar shared findings from its experts at a previous public hearing, the Planning Board identified its own expert in the field, Scott Horsley, who has 30 years of experience in water resource management and founded Horsley Consulting.
“[Horsley] is working on doing some modeling and analyses related to the hydraulics. [He] subsequently brought in an additional person, Jim Limbrunner from Tufts [University],” Riordan said on Thursday. “[They] were working this past week with the most updated information … however, this morning, I talked to our town counsel, who indicated that as of today, they’re still working and they’ve actually brought in an additional person to help get some feedback.”
Riordan added that Town Counsel Jeffrey Blake said the town doesn’t have a report from its experts yet, so there wasn’t enough information to render a decision on Thursday, nor to have further conversation or discussion with BlueWave Solar or its representatives.
The Planning Board’s next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 20, with the public hearing slated to continue at 6 p.m.
