On Friday night, the three companies that responded to the City's RFEI (request for expression of interest) for installing a solar farm somewhere in the vicinity of North Bay made presentations to the Common Council. Only half the aldermen were part of the meeting. Absent were Eileen Halloran (Fifth Ward), Shershah Mizan (Third Ward), John Rosenthal (Fourth Ward), Jane Trombley (First Ward), and Malachi Walker (Fourth Ward).
In their responses to the RFEI, all three companies--AC Power, BQ Energy, and Nexamp--expressed a preference for siting the solar farm on the capped landfill, which is being discouraged by the Conservation Advisory Council. In their presentations, they had been tasked by Peter Bujanow, Commissioner of Public Works, with explaining why they had opted for the landfill. All three cited their past experience and expertise in siting solar arrays on landfills and brownfields and made assurances that there was no conflict between trails and solar farms. Paul Curran of BQ Energy warned that opening landfills for public use is risky and declared, "The idea that in time the landfill will be healed . . . it's not going to happen."
The presentations of two of the companies included maps showing where they would site the solar arrays. AC Power would position them all on the capped landfill.
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| Photo: Jonathan Simons |
The presentations are certain to be a topic of discussion at the next meeting of the Conservation Advisory Council on Tuesday, December 7, and at the informal meeting of the Common Council on Monday, December 13.
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Thanks for the information, Gossips - I don't believe a word that the siting won't interfere with the plans for the landfill, i.e the trails or the views, or the dog park. Did anyone ask why the don't use the sites which the CAC referred them to?
ReplyDeleteBecause these companies salivate at the prospect of wide open landfills. Any other locations are full of headaches - trees, wildlife, access, nimby, etc. The company that gave the 2nd presentation only sites solar farms on capped landfills and other contaminated sites, nothing else. They offered to solarize 9 acres on the landfill and 5 acres at the two other Hudson owned sites. Guaranteed that if they don't get access to the landfill, they won't bother with the 5 acres. Same with the other two companies.
DeleteOf course, Peter Bujanow and Tom Depietro could have stated to all 3 companies WELL PRIOR to the Friday night 5pm meeting (really, Tom?) that any discussion or reference to the siting of panels on THE COUNTY-OWNED FORMER DUMP would not be allowed or entertained in any presentations, and that anything having to do with the dump property should be directed to County Public Works Chairman Ron Knott. Instead, the county's dump was the central part of all 3 presentations at a city council meeting. Haven't we been through this already? This is bush league, unprofessional and unethical behavior on the part of the Common Council President and Peter Bujanow, who doesn't live in Hudson. No wonder only half the council showed up - this is all a waste of time, and it doesn't matter how alderpeople feel about this issue, especially those on the way out. Tom and Peter would prefer that no one show up to these meetings, no doubt, including County officials. The praise these two heaped on each company for their presentations was embarrassing. This nonsense has got to stop. B Huston
ReplyDeleteThat property is the last big piece of open space we have left in Hudson. Inviting some outside entity to fill in with solar panels is a bonehead idea and a squandering of a great resource, especially given that there is no shortage of blighted sites and parking lots that could be used for the purpose. Hopefully the Department of State in Albany will run this through their Coastal Consistency program and kill it.
ReplyDelete"Folks who want to build us a solar farm," sounds so PC and folksy. The problem with this is energy companies generally do not do favors, they build things for their own interest and profit. A solar farm on city land is a great idea, if it is owned, operated and the beneficiary is the City of Hudson. No way I would not turn over a square foot of city property to an energy company, but these are the same folks bringing us the new uptown version of "Bliss Towers lite", so that's expected. Soon we will see them standing next to the solar panels with a shovel in hand for a photo op, taking credit for someone else's investment and labor.
ReplyDeleteI think the title 'folks, etc., is quite tongue in cheek on the part of Gossips.
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