solar energy

Solar talks resume in North Canaan

NORTH CANAAN — The Board of Selectmen has reopened discussions for establishing a solar panel array at the Transfer Station.

A previous arrangement with CTEC Solar to develop a solar farm for the town fell through due to the inability of the company to secure grant funding. First Selectman Brian Ohler described the situation as “a blessing in disguise” because the plan would have involved burying a transmission line through dense, native forest.

Solar talks resumed this spring after consultant Kirt Mayland contacted the selectmen with an offer to plan a new project. Around the same time, John Bunce, owner of the property just north of the Transfer Station, reached out to express interest in partnering with the town on such a project.

Mayland, who worked on the 13-acre array in Norfolk, began drafting an RFP (request for proposal) to present a new solar plan to the North Canaan selectmen. A special meeting of the BOS to review Mayland’s proposal is expected to take place in late May.

Ohler said the goal is to maximize megawatt output while minimizing cost to the town and impact on the environment. Instead of a buried transmission line, he said the new plan involves continuing three-phase power lines along West Main Street to the Transfer Station.

If a five-megawatt array is built, Ohler explained, the potential revenue to the town could be approximately $50,000 per year.

The consultant and infrastructure costs could be covered by the future revenues, meaning potentially “no out of pocket cost to the town,” Ohler said.

As of May 12, no special BOS meeting with Mayland had been scheduled.

solar energy

Latest News

Fallen tree cancels jubilee

Fallen tree cancels jubilee

The roof of the Grove was damaged by the tree, the event tent was punctured, a chef was injured and the Jubilee Luncheon was canceled Sunday, Oct. 12.

Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

LAKEVILLE — The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News Jubilee Luncheon fundraiser at the Grove Sunday, Oct. 12 was canceled after a very large section of a tree fell on the caterer’s tent at about 10 a.m.

Most of the catering staff heard the tree breaking up and got out of the tent in time, but the chef was hit by the falling limbs and sustained non-critical injuries.

Keep ReadingShow less
weather

Kent School senior killed, parents hurt in car crash

Kent School senior killed, parents hurt in car crash

Emergency responders block Amenia Union Road in Sharon Saturday, Oct. 11, while responding to the vehicle crash.

Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

Updated Oct. 13, 9:25 a.m.:

SHARON — Shea Cassidy-Teti, 17, of Salisbury, died Saturday, Oct. 11, in a tragic car crash on Amenia Union Road in Sharon.

Keep ReadingShow less

Rhys V. Bowen

Rhys V. Bowen

LAKEVILLE — Rhys V. Bowen, 65, of Foxboro, Massachusetts, died unexpectedly in his sleep on Sept. 15, 2025. Rhys was born in Sharon, Connecticut, on April 9, 1960 to Anne H. Bowen and the late John G. Bowen. His brother, David, died in 1979.

Rhys grew up at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where his father taught English. Attending Hotchkiss, Rhys excelled in academics and played soccer, basketball, and baseball. During these years, he also learned the challenges and joys of running, and continued to run at least 50 miles a week, until the day he died.

Keep ReadingShow less

Kelsey K. Horton

Kelsey K. Horton

LAKEVILLE — Kelsey K. Horton, 43, a lifelong area resident, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, following a courageous battle with cancer. Kelsey worked as a certified nursing assistant and administrative assistant at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, from 1999 until 2024, where she was a very respected and loved member of their nursing and administrative staff.

Born Oct. 4, 1981, in Sharon, she was the daughter of W. Craig Kellogg of Southern Pines, North Carolina, and JoAnne (Lukens) Tuncy and her husband Donald of Millerton, New York. Kelsey graduated with the class of 1999 from Webutuck High School in Amenia and from BOCES in 1999 with a certificate from the CNA program as well. She was a longtime member of the Lakeville United Methodist Church in Lakeville. On Oct. 11, 2003, in Poughkeepsie, New York, she married James Horton. Jimmy survives at home in Lakeville. Kelsey loved camping every summer at Waubeeka Family Campground in Copake, and she volunteered as a cheer coach for A.R.C. Cheerleading for many years. Kelsey also enjoyed hiking and gardening in her spare time and spending time with her loving family and many dear friends.

Keep ReadingShow less