LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — The April 27 Cochecton Town Board meeting was held to discuss the possibility of a community solar installation on property located opposite the old town hall.

Rich Winter, CEO and owner of Delaware River Solar (DRS), and three of his colleagues presented maps, facts, photos and a timeline for construction and operation of a solar farm designed to provide lower-cost renewable energy to the community in which it is located.

Through an agreement with New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) made possible by grant funding, DRS could construct a $4.5–5 million solar installation on a 10-acre property leased to it by the landowner. The installation would produce 2.5 million kilowatt hours per year and serve between 250-300 households within Sullivan County.

NYSEG residential customers electing to purchase DRS-generated electricity would be billed directly by DRS, then receive a corresponding credit on their NYSEG bills. Apologizing for the cumbersome billing practice, Winters said he’d prefer that customers receive only one bill, from NYSEG, that reflects the DRS savings.

Describing the installation site, Winters said it would be surrounded by fencing for security reasons and that there would be roadside vegetation screens to prevent a view of the eight-foot tall panels. Deputy supervisor Ed Grund noted that the south-facing panels will present their backs to the road.

When asked by the board about greenery at the site, Winters said either grass or some other low-maintenance ground cover would be planted beneath the panels. And, in response to councilman Paul Salzberg’s question about employing local workers, he said DRS was committed to using qualified local contractors for grounds maintenance as well as construction.

To the board’s biggest worry, that of DRS bankruptcy and facility abandonment, Winters offered reassurance that his five-year-old company, which has multiple installations in Massachusetts, will make available to its customers a 20-year fixed energy rate. Claiming that its solar panels have a 20-plus-year life expectancy, Winters said after 20 years the facility would, at town option, either revert to town ownership or be decommissioned.

The board also asked for a guarantee that the town will not be responsible for disposal of hazardous materials in spent solar panels. Answering one board member’s query about contacting panel manufacturers for a list of those materials, Winters replied, “They’re made in China.”

DRS closed its presentation with a request for speedy adoption of zoning ordinances that will pave the way for construction permits. For more information about DRS and community solar, see www.delawareriversolar.com.

There was another important project considered at the meeting. The long-planned sewer plant upgrade has hit snags: repair of a sinking manhole in front of The Nutshell will cost $2,950; tree removal from the plant site will cost $2,400; the plant upgrade itself, anticipated to cost around $90,000, brought contractor bids from $133,000 to $255,000.

Maas explained that inadequate budgeting for the project will necessitate a “loan” from the town’s $720,000 general fund. Although the money will simply be transferred from the general fund to the sewer district fund, it must be done in the form of a loan, with payments of principal plus interest made back to the general fund. Repayment money will come from increased revenues charged to sewer district customers over a five-year period. Per Maas, the town’s auditor, said this procedure is mandatory because the general fund serves the township as a whole, while the sewer district serves only a small portion of town residents.