ADAMS, Mass. — Town Administrator Jonathon Butler and the Board of Selectmen expressed frustration on Wednesday's workshop meeting with public response to town officials' trying to sort out a controversial solar farm proposal.

 

Butler said a number of town officials who called his office on Wednesday were offended by the adversarial approach taken by residents in airing concerns over a ruling made regarding the proposal during Tuesday’s Zoning Board of Appeals.

 

"The people who fight the project have every right to fight the project," Butler said. "But don't make it personal."

 

Audience members were discontented with the ZBA's unclear ruling. The board voted 3-2 to uphold the building inspector's denial of a permit for 217 East Road Solar Project Co. LLC to install some 6,500 photovoltaic panels in a residential area.

 

But, neither the board nor town counsel were able to confidently state whether that vote would hold or if a 4-1 vote was required. 

 

During the meeting, audience members spoke out of turn, castigated the board and applauded those testifying against the project.

 

Selectmen Joseph Nowak, who attended Tuesday's meeting, described it as "ugly," expressing concern that the attitudes of residents may be a detriment to the town's ability to attract developers to Adams. Butler added that the job of town officials is to be business friendly, as well as residential friendly.

 

According to Butler, there is public perception that town officials are taking a secretive approach to solar energy issues saying, "the idea that the town is behind closed doors doing this is wrong."

 

Butler said the town has never "supported" the project, but provided information to developers based on its research, helping to facilitate the zoning process.

 

The Selectmen identified the size and placement of panels as areas of focus in constructing a local bylaw around solar issues, citing that questions such as whether or not a panel is placed on a roof must be specified for future rulings. Abuttors have argued that the state's 27-year-old by-right solar facility law refers to home systems, not commercial arrays, although the wording is not specific.

 

"That hasn't been a concern because there hasn't been a proposal," Selectman Michael Oullette said. Selectman Richard Blanchard added, "Once there is a proposal, you can't stop it."

 

Selectman Arthur "Skip" Harrington said the town should stay close to state guidelines set for these matters in implementing a bylaw. However, the town's issue on the standards of solar energy are unprecedented in the state, according to the board.

 

Town officials will be drafting and revising a proposal internally — through various boards and committees — before it is brought to the Board of Selectmen, which will make a definitive ruling before passing it on to town meeting.

 

"The process of drafting something that is a political hot-button issue has a lot of steps, but I'm confident we can get through this for January," Butler said.

 

Nowak will recommend a moratorium on solar development at the next Selectmen's meeting, which has not officially been posted.

 

A public meeting for questions and comments is being eyed for the second week of January for anyone who has a stake or concern in solar energy issues.

 

Butler said that a special town meeting will be planned for late February or mid-March to decide a solar energy bylaw as well as the funding for the Adams Free Library project and on the extension of the Ashuwillticook Trail.