Editor’s note: This article is by Edward Damon, of the Berkshire Eagle. It was first published in the Bennington Banner on Aug. 18, 2015.
POWNAL — Residents have rejected a proposed solar array on land owned by a local water system.
Residents voted 12-31 against the project Monday in what turned out to be a very brief meeting at American Legion Post 90.
Officials with the Pownal Fire District No. 2 said the array would have produced additional revenue for the municipality while producing clean energy.
But residents remained unconvinced over the project’s safety and raised concerns over possible ground water contamination, potential for accidents and a lowering of property values.
“We came to vote,” a woman in attendance said firmly from her seat during the meeting. “That’s it.”
Only a few attendees voted from the floor in favor of the project, with the majority giving a resounding “no.” The ballot vote followed at an attendee’s request.
“The point of this project was to look at the future of the district,” Ray Bub, chairman of the district’s Prudential Board, said after the vote. “We were looking to increase revenue, build up some reserves, and not raise rates.”
Bub said the water rates will likely have to be raised to cover expenses.
He and other members have stated their desire to find other revenue sources instead of raising rates, which are currently $115 per quarter. Selling water to swimming pool filling and bottled water companies has not been successful.
The proposal in front of voters Monday was for a 150-kilowatt solar array on a field next to Route 346 that is currently home to the district’s pump and wellhead, to be built at no cost to the district by developer Green Lantern Group LLC of Waterbury.
The district is an entity with authority to levy taxes and provides water for some 140 households in the village of Pownal.
The cluster of seven-foot panels would have been sandwiched between railroad tracks and the state highway Route 346, surrounded by a fence and screened by evergreens.
A planned presentation on the project by Ralph Meima, director of project development in southern Vermont for Green Lantern Group, never happened after residents clamored for a vote. Those who called out to Bub at the start appeared to have already made up their minds.
“We don’t want it,” a woman said.
“We’re not listening to it,” another woman said of the presentation.
“We’ve heard it all before,” one man said. “We want to vote and go home.”
The meeting was adjourned a little over 10 minutes after being called to order.
Bub and board members expressed after the meeting their regret over the vote, and stated their belief that many concerns weren’t backed up by facts.
Bub also refuted opponents’ dislike of members’ having water bills forgiven and a $30 stipend for each meeting attended.
“These are the people responsible for operation and maintenance of a public water district,” Bub said. “In my opinion, they should be honored.” The benefits account for less than five percent of the budget, according to Bub.
“I spend about an hour a day working for the district, sometimes eight hours in one day,” he added.
