Rochester’s Planning Board Tuesday approved the Special Permit and Groundwater Protection District permit for Blue Wave Solar and BWC Snows Pond LLC’s plan to build a solar-energy array at 0 Cushman Road.
The 12.55-acre operation on a 31-acre parcel will be built in a Residential/Agricultural District and a Mattapoisett River Valley Watershed and Groundwater Protection District.
The board signed the project’s draft decision to include altering a previous condition that its construction equipment use only bio-hydraulic fluids. Board Chairman Arnold Johnson noted this condition is being changed to allow nonbiodegradable oils.
In a previous meeting, the petitioner’s advocates successfully argued that such a relatively small operation would have to frequently drain all its hydraulic equipment. It would be a burdensome, expensive process that would lead vendors to not even bid for the job, they said, noting the size of the operation would not make it worth the effort.
The Planning panel also agreed to create a draft decision for JPF Development’s plan to construct a 15-acre, self-storage facility with seven storage buildings and a total of 300 units within the Industrial District at Kings Highway and Route 28.
Here, too, a waiver became the main topic of discussion.
JPF Development’s engineering consultant, Bill Madden, complained that the Town of Wareham is not allowing the applicant to access water by connecting to an existing line and hydrant on private property, the applicant’s previous plan. JPF is being asked instead to move its proposed water line to beneath Cranberry Highway, he said, which will add to the project cost.
Plus, Madden said, the town’s consulting engineer, Ken Motta, has requested JPF build a 30-foot utility easement rather than the company’s plan of a mere 10-foot easement. Ten feet is all that the project will need, Madden argued.
“That’s a pretty big ask, given that an access road that big won’t be needed,” Madden said. “We are agonizing over this now. The hard and soft costs would be huge. And we won’t need much water.”
He elaborated that separate water access will be needed only for the restroom that will be installed in the office and for the five to 10 commercial bays planned for the project.
The board agreed with Madden that a larger easement is not necessary and approved his request to add the waiver for a 10-foot easement to the decision conditions.
Johnson said the town has no money or Water Department to support such a water line. “There’s no other project being planned that could tag into that line,” he said.
The board closed the public hearing and said the draft decision will be ready to be signed at the second meeting in May.
In other business, the board reviewed the issue of solar-panel toxicity. Johnson said recent YouTube videos have shown solar-array panels shattering and catching fire. Should this happen in Rochester, the materials and chemicals that fall to the ground could create hazardous and groundwater-contamination waste, board members said.
Johnson concluded solar-array companies should add an insurance policy on this issue, and the town should add this condition into the town’s solar bylaw.
Town Planner Nancy Durfee said it is too late to make such a change in time for the May 13 Annual Town Meeting. Johnson said the board should make ready this change for the fall Town Meeting.
The Rochester Planning Board will meet next on Tuesday, April 23, at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.
Rochester Planning Board
By Michael J. DeCicco
Mike we didn’t eliminate the condition requiring bio hydraulic oil we modified it to allow small machinery to not have that requirement
Arnie