By Denise Wright
The December 16 meeting of the town board in Stephentown started with a presentation and discussion about the proposed Longroad Development LLC, ground-mounted 5 mW (AC) solar array on 26 acres of a 77-acre area located on New York Route 22. Improvements would include photovoltaic modules divided into three clusters (a south cluster, a middle cluster, and a north cluster); a sixteen (16) foot wide pervious gravel access road; concrete equipment pads; electrical equipment and lines; and fencing around each of the clusters. The project "consists primarily of existing agricultural land, with some forested areas outside the delineated wetland areas located on the western side of the parcel." The solar array would interconnect to NYSEG's existing distribution circuit, which runs along a former railroad bed on the western side of the parcel. Members of the Board voiced concerns about the decommissioning plan and the electrical inverters and lines. One member expressed that the amount planned was "a little small." Since so many questions were voiced and construction can only start once the plan is approved, the plan was to come back next month with answers to the Board's concerns.
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