Letters to the Editor - The Lakeville Journal - 12-21-23

Solar referendum deserves attention by residents before vote on Jan. 5

The school solar referendum on Jan. 5 warrants the careful attention of Sharon residents. Simply stated, approving the proposal will save the town money, reduce taxpayers’ exposure to electricity price increases, reinvigorate a disused “nature” trail, and provide the real and symbolic benefit of reduced carbon emissions at our school.

Opponents of the solar installation decry the “destruction” of a town recreational property and challenge the projected savings for the school. Neither assertion is true.

The Keleman Nature Trail’s condition has declined significantly over the decades since it was created: the town has many fiscal demands, and the budget for keeping this property in good condition, free from invasives and fulfilling its promise as an educational resource, has been virtually non-existent.

“The Proposed Savings” section of the opponents’ website cites 13 specific financial problems with the proposed solar array. But what appear to be legitimate concerns do not stand up to scrutiny. Of these 13 sections, eight are demonstrably false or misleading and four are irrelevant. I embrace a good debate, but Sharon voters are ill-served by opposition to this already-approved project because:

(1) the petition initiating the referendum contains two significant, misleading and confusing assertions;

(2) opponents fail to mention that the town will face the near-certainty of a $40,000-50,000 charge for abrogating the contract entered into more than a year ago;

(3) Sharon’s reputation with state entities and independent contractors will be damaged by abrogation after three years of publicly supporting the project;

(4) the opposition’s website section on financial matters ignores publicly available information and naively, or intentionally, understates the major savings to the Town: the project would provide savings of more than $30,000 a year, or greater than $600,000 over the 20-year life span of the project;

(5) Taxpayers will be exposed to upwards of $1.2 million in avoidable cumulative electricity costs.

You may wonder how to make sense of each side’s claims and counterclaims. I am prepared to defend those accusations against any reasonable question or challenge in an open forum. For more detail, see the town’s website www.sharonct.org. Some of that detail is self-evident, some is more complex and tedious.

For perspective, the solar project at SCS was made possible by the CT Green Bank’s Municipal Assistance Program [MAP]; the Green Bank was established by the CT General Assembly in 2011. To date, it has completed more than $2.4 billion in clean energy projects in the state.

A “Yes” vote will provide both predictable savings and provide protection for 20 years from exposure to cost increases. Why not allow people of good faith on both sides to work together to propose dedicating a modest share of the savings to adequately fund the Keleman Trail? In that way, Keleman can become what everyone remembers.

Roger Liddell

Sharon 

Winter

Spoon me, sweet darling.

Under feathers and flannel,

Chase the cold away

— Kathy Volstad      

where are the bears now?

I have my favorite one

Oh beneath our deck!

— Eileen L. Epperson      

Ping pong parody

A life bounces back and forth

Death never loses

— Anonymous

From the Scoville Memorial Library adult writing group. haikus written on the theme of the transition to winter.

Solar project’s benefits need to be understood

The Town of Sharon has approved a solar panel project that would have significant financial, educational and environmental benefits for the town. But opponents of the plan have initiated a referendum on Jan. 5 that presents such an inaccurate picture of the project that someone coming to the issue cold would have no way of judging it on its merits.

The referendum asks “Shall the Town of Sharon voluntarily relinquish community recreational property at the Sharon Center School playground extension for the purpose of leasing that land to a third party for the installation of a 400+ solar panel array?”

1. It is inaccurate to describe this plan as the town “voluntarily relinquish”ing this property, as the town retains ownership and control. This is a legitimate decision to use the field for a new purpose.

2. Describing this as “community recreational property at the Sharon Central School” is misleading. This field has not been used by the school for fifteen years; the “nature walk” is in complete disrepair, and while the lot in question is occasionally mowed, it has not been maintained as an active recreational property.

3. It is misleadingly incomplete to describe the project as “leasing”  “to a third party”, as if the agreement has nothing to do with Sharon. The town will benefit from lower energy costs, educational opportunities, and construction of a new nature walk.

This project has been under consideration for years and approved by the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Finance, and the Board of Education. If Sharon residents are being asked to shoulder the cost of a referendum and potential financial liability for the cancellation of a project already underway, they should at least be given the chance to consider the project on its actual merits. The authors of this referendum have not given them the opportunity to do so.

Anne Vance

Sharon

Thanking everyone at Sharon Center School

As the end of 2023 approaches, the members of the Sharon Board of Education wish to express their gratitude to the principal, faculty, and staff of the Sharon Center School for all they have done to help our elementary and middle school students grow and thrive.

The fruits of their 2023-2023 school year efforts are borne out by notable accomplishments including: 

SCS student progress and performance as reflected in Connecticut’s Next Generation Accountability Results which showed:  

Significant improvement in Mathematics and English Language Arts and the percentage of students meeting their learning growth targets,

The overall percentage of points earned by our students increased by over 4% percent.  

Students’ outperformed Connecticut student performance by more than 2.5% 

SCS was one of 154 schools awarded the CT State Department of Education “Schools of Distinction” for the category of high student growth in mathematics for our students with high needs.  

We also celebrate the Growth in student participation in the Regional Middle School Summer Program 

Our art department and its innovative mural and Troutbeck programs

To get a sense of the spirit “within the walls” visit https://region1schools.org/. 

We wish to express our thanks to the administration and staff at the RSSC (Central Office) for their leadership, support, and stewardship; their combined efforts have made a difference in our schools and for our children.  We particularly appreciate the partnerships they have developed with numerous local educational and philanthropic organizations.

Finally, we extend our sincere gratitude to our former Board of Education members, Monica Connor, Deborah Rathbun, and Mandy Thompson who, this fall, stepped down from the Board after many years of dedicated service.  Their time and efforts have enhanced Sharon Center School, our teachers’ and staff members’ work, and most importantly our children’s learning.

As members of the Sharon Board of Education, we extend hopeful wishes to our community neighbors for a joyous holiday season and prosperous and healthy new year.  We look forward to working together as a collaborative team to continued school growth and student success. 

Happy Holidays from,

The Sharon Board of Education:

Doug Cahill

Anne Vance

Nancy Hegy Martin

Kitty Visconti

Philip O’Reilly

Voting ‘Yes’ on Sharon solar

As Dr. James Shepherd told a recent Salisbury Forum audience, we face a real existential threat from global warming and we need to act on sustainable solutions now.  At a recent Sharon town meeting, every speaker said they were in favor of sustainable energy solutions.

In a few weeks Sharon residents will have an opportunity to approve a contract to install some 400 solar panels in an overgrown weed-filled lot near the Sharon Center School.  The proposal will even save the school thousands of dollars in electricity costs each year and lower our taxes.  That’s because Connecticut Green Bank will install and maintain the panels at no cost whatsoever to the town or the school district.

Here’s how Sharon residents can help: the town will hold a referendum on the project on Friday, Jan. 5th, from Noon to 8 PM at the Sharon Town Hall.  It’s important that all residents turn out to vote “YES” for this win-win project.  If we want to do something about climate change, here’s our chance.   It’s not enough to say “I like solar, but…”   Now’s the time for the citizens of Sharon to vote like we mean it.

To learn more about the future of clean energy for Sharon Center School, go to solar4sharon.org. 

For years to come, Sharon students will be able to point with pride to their town’s visible effort to save the environment.   

You can vote by absentee ballot or in person at Town Hall on January 5th.

Frank Fitzmaurice

Sharon

Say ‘Yes’ to solar Jan. 5

The Sharon town meeting about a solar installation for the Sharon Center School left some residents with more questions than answers.  

Residents may want to visit the proposed site, a disused nature trail adjacent to the school’s large playground and playing fields, to decide for themselves if our children are lacking outdoor play space.  

The children of Sharon are also blessed with thousands of acres of nature preserves and over 30 miles of trails to explore that are actively maintained by the volunteers of Sharon Land Trust, Sharon Audubon, and the Sharon Conservation Commission. 

Some have suggested that the solar array be put on the roof of the school.

Three years ago, the roof was the first option considered in the planning stages of the project, but the roof is not suitable for solar for a variety of reasons:

1. The slate-roofed portion of the school is not oriented in the correct direction. Also, because slate is brittle and can be prone to cracking, it is not ideal for solar installations.  

2. The flat roof section of the roof has HVAC mechanicals on it and does not have nearly enough remaining space for an array large enough to provide 85% of the school’s electricity.

3. Installing the panels on the standing seam section of the roof would have voided the guarantee.

Let me declare my bias. I said Yes, In My Back Yard (I’m a YIMBY) and installed a standing solar array where it could be seen from the bedroom.

Looking at it, I marvel at that feat of human ingenuity, while also celebrating my nearly non-existent electricity bill. The Sharon Center School’s array will save well over half a million dollars for the Town over its 20-year lifespan.

Famous gardens in our region incorporate solar panels as a feature of design (see Great Gardens of the Berkshires). New York State recently passed a bill that encourages the installation of pollinator meadows with solar fields, a strategy we hope to pursue by surrounding the proposed school solar array with pollinator-friendly native plants.  

I hope my fellow residents of Sharon will seize this opportunity to showcase a marriage of technology and nature that is an economic boon to boot.

Let’s say Yes to solar on Jan. 5. That would be a true gift to the children of Sharon. 

Katy Kinsolving

Member,

Sharon Energy
 and
Environment Commission

Sharon needs neighborly solar

On Friday, Jan. 5, Sharon will hold a referendum for or against the continuation of a municipal solar project approved over a year ago. At that time, after much public review and the unanimous vote of a town meeting in favor of the project, Sharon contracted through the Connecticut Green Bank for the supply, operation, and maintenance – at no cost to Sharon – of an array of solar panels near the Sharon Center School, which will provide the school with a cheap, consistent electricity rate for the next 20 years.

This is a good project, previously vetted and already underway. So why will there be another vote?

Because certain Sharon residents, including some who live next to the solar panel lot, have successfully petitioned under state law to put a question, written in their own words, before town voters. The question would prohibit the licensing of the lot for the solar panel project. This would effectively torpedo the project and put the town in breach of its ongoing contract. The Green Bank is already saying that the town may have to pay significant damages if there is a breach.

Why are the objectors objecting? I listened to their arguments at a town meeting on Nov. 29.

These struck me as weak. (E.g., that changes in market financial numbers over the months of project development render project numbers generally untrustworthy; that the siting of the project will dishonor a neglected, student-built “nature trail” that loops around on the lot; that there may be bog turtles nearby; etc.) So, I speculate that the real reason for objecting is that one or more people do not want the panels near their property.

There is a term used to disparage such objections to community projects: “NIMBY” (“Not In My Back Yard”). But not all NIMBY concerns need be illegitimate. These objectors are our neighbors.

Their worries (including NIMBY worries, if that’s what is motivating them) should be listened to and, where reasonable, accommodated. For example, there is already a plan to screen the panels from view with native plantings. Perhaps it would be reasonable to do more now to lock in and publicize these plans and take steps to make sure they are substantial, funded, and implemented.

The objectors have not made it easy for the town to act generously. Their opposition is years late and inconsiderate of regular town governance. It threatens real monetary damage to taxpayers.

And the question being put to voters has been draBed “litigation-style” — so that if it cannot convince, it might at least confuse and leave us all unhappy.

Still, we must be neighborly. I urge the people of Sharon to vote “yes” to the referendum question, which will keep the solar project going, but also to express to town officials the strong desire that the panels be well and truly screened. In this way, all of us, including those who live near the panels, can enjoy the benefits the panels will bring.

Richard Baumann

Sharon

Concerns about proposed solar for Sharon 

We are not against solar but have legitimate concerns with the proposed solar array at Sharon Center School playground extension. Residents can vote YES or NO on January 5th at Sharon Town Hall and should be aware of all the issues.

Background: In April 2022, some Sharon residents learned of a solar array being planned on land next to Sharon Center School that was donated to the town by Hilltop resident, Dr. Jensen in 1992 to be used by the school as a “playground extension”. This beautiful wildlife habitat borders one of Sharon’s most ecologically important wetlands.

The facts: After Dr. Jensen donated the land, a resident named Mr. Kelemen sponsored and funded the building of the Kelemen Nature Trail, assisted by 133 students, faculty and local businesses, According to the plaque “It is meant to last for years so future generations of students can enjoy it like the students that built this trail did. Students can return years from now and see how the trees have grown since they planted them.”

The Sharon Energy and Environment Committee (SEEC) approved a proposal to turn the playground extension/Kelemen Nature Trail into a solar field in 2022. The proposal was voted on by 14 people in a 5-minute meeting according to the minutes from that meeting. No environmental impact nor environmental engineering studies were done by the Town.

SEEC selected the playground extension/Keleman Nature Trail, even though flat roofs are the preferred location for industrial solar arrays. SEEC claimed the flat roof would not generate enough power. The proposed system at Sharon Center School is twice as large as Housatonic High School’s and Sharon Center School has fewer than 25% of the students.

Application to Sharon Planning and Zoning for the solar Array submitted 9/12/23.   

•   456 solar panels 10 feet tall

• Configured in 6 rows sloping toward the abutting wetlands

• Surrounded by 7-foot chain link fence

•   Removal of 11 of the 12 trees planted by the students to create the Kelemen Nature Trail

Concerns:

•  Destruction of Kelemen Nature Trail and green space

• Impact on abutting Wetlands documented by a researcher from Central Connecticut State University

•  Errors and Omissions in the P&Z Application as determined by an environmental engineer:

— No Stormwater Management analysis or plan

— No Decommissioning plans for the solar array at end of life 

—  No Carbon Debt Analysis

—  Inadequate screening plan from Hilltop & Still Meadow Roads

•   Power Purchase Agreement

—  How was the PPA Rate per kWh determined and negotiated?

—  Why did the rate change from the proposed $.084 per kWh, to $.107 per kWh when the contract was signed and then raised to $.126 per kWh within 60 days?

— What is the estimated cost of penalties if SCS does not use 100% of the electricity generated for the 20 years of the contract?

— Are there penalties if the SCS tries to be more energy efficient or has to downsize the use of the building based on falling enrollment?   

For information visit www.scs-solar.info

David Levinson

Sharon

More thoughts on solar

The solar array for the Sharon Center School at the Keleman parcel is a fantastic project for everyone in Sharon. Thank you SEEC for so generously giving your time and service to our community.

We propose adding a few necessary elements into the project. First, a plaque honoring Mr. Keleman’s gift and the Nature Trail, which so many members of our community helped to build, should be erected on the property. This plaque should contain all the information that is currently on the wooden sign which is so weathered and deteriorated that it is almost unreadable. Second, a program at the school should be encouraged to study solar and other sources of renewable energy, using the new solar array as a learning tool. Third, any harvestable wood which must cut down to construct the array should be reclaimed for artistic and/or useful objects to be displayed and at the school. We feel certain that the SEEC will support these.

Sharon’s history is filled with forward thinking leaders and inventors — Simeon Smith, medical inventor, Benjamin Hotchkiss, inventor and manufacturer, Cotton Mather Smith, minister, and Charles Augustus Templeton, our 51st governor who was educated in Sharon’s public schools — just to name a few.

Let’s keep that tradition alive in our school and in our town; let’s inspire a new generation of forward thinkers at Sharon Center School.

Vote yes on Friday, Jan. 5. Sharon Town Hall 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Deborah and David Moore

Sharon