Hotchkiss School presents plan for a new power plant

SALISBURY — Representatives from The Hotchkiss School made their pitch  to the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) at a public hearing on a proposed new biomass energy plant Tuesday, Oct. 5.

P&Z Vice Chair Michael Klemens chaired the hearing, which followed a lengthy hearing on another topic (see story, Page A5). Hotchkiss Head of School Malcolm McKenzie made a quick statement, outlining the three main reasons the school wants to build the new plant, which will burn wood chips.

McKenzie said the school was looking for a “less visible place for the new plant� (which replaces an older, existing plant) and considered truck traffic, student safety, the view from Lake Wononscopomuc and “the inevitable chimney� in selecting the site at 11 Interlaken Road, near the third hole of the school’s golf course.

The new plant would reduce the school’s carbon footprint by 33 percent, and possibly reduce by up to 50 percent the emissions compared to those from the existing oil-burning facility, he continued.

The school sees the biomass plant as an educational opportunity, too. “We want the students to be aware of where energy comes from, and to extend that into the community,� he said.

Alan Paradis of Centerbrook Architects said the building will be built into the hillside, and will literally have a green seedum roof, which will help control water runoff.

David Madigan of van Zelm Engineers said of the emissions, “It would be fair to say this operation will be far cleanerâ€�  than the existing oil-burning plant.

P&Z member Dan Dwyer asked about truck traffic. Madigan replied that the plant will require 5,600 tons of wood chips per year. The material is shipped in 20-ton trucks. “In January, there will probably be two trucks per day. In October, one every other day.�

The discussion also revealed that one aspect of the plant — the ability to shift to natural gas — is no longer part of the plan. The plant will have an oil backup system.

Public comment was mixed. Salisbury resident Dave Bayersdorfer said, “There are distinct and passionate points of view for and againstâ€�  biomass energy. He also worried about truck traffic and the affect on the golf course.

Star Childs of Norfolk, who is a forester and whose family owns the Great Mountain Forest, said the production of the wood chips would be a boon to foresters, because they can be “harvested from trees that have little or no value� except as firewood.

“It would be great for forest management,� he said.

Several people, wondering about the chimney and how visible it would be from different vantage points, asked for a balloon to be flown at the site.

The school announced last week that it is placing a high lift at the site of the facility. It will be visible near the cluster of houses on the east side of Route 41, just north of the Mars Athletic Center. The lift’s bucket will be raised to 58 feet, which is the height of the proposed heating plant’s chimney.  

The lift will be in place from Monday, Oct. 18, to Sunday, Oct. 24.

The hearing was continued to Wednesday, Nov. 3, 6 p.m.Two other hearings are the same night; interested parties might want to check the official notice to determine the order on the agenda.