A proposal for a small-scale solar array project met pushback from several neighbors at a public hearing at last week’s Hurley Planning Board public hearing. Residents of surrounding properties told the board that the ground-mounted solar panels would be an eyesore in their backyards and, they believe, exceeds town code limits for what’s considered a “small-scale” project.

Town code defines a “small-scale solar energy system” as one that produces no more than 12 kilowatts of power. The application from SunCommon Solar is currently listed as being a 15-kilowatt system, though the applicant said at last Thursday night’s meeting that his engineer conducted a study and the array’s solar production never exceeded 12 kilowatts.

Regardless of kilowattage, some neighbors said the panel would be visible from their backyards and pooh-poohed the applicant’s plan to plant trees to conceal it. “Six-foot trees are not going to solve the problem of how to hide an 11-foot-high array,” said one neighbor.

The project neighbor also told the board that the rear of the applicant’s house is unfinished and suggested that the trees could die under the care of the owner. “If you look at the state of this house, there's no reason to think that this property is going to be correctly maintained,” he said.

Another resident cited their “environmental concerns” about the project, saying that solar panels were said to attract insects. Another neighbor complained about the noise of the tree-clearing currently being done on the property to build the panel and meet setback requirements.

“There's a difference between clearing trees to see a house and still seeing forest to seeing this big array that will be shining towards my house,” he said.

Planning board member Dennis O’Clair later commented on the complaints.

“Our job as planning board members is not to take sides, it’s to sort of interpret the [town zoning code] and the application and then rule,” he said. “Personally, though, I have to say that I am dismayed at all the objections to this.”

O’Clair said that in visiting the project site he noticed several large propane tanks in neighboring backyards, including the backyard of one of the residents present. That resident’s suggestion that the array compromises neighborhood aesthetics while the resident keeps the back of a propane tank uncovered brought, said O’Clair, “a little bit of irony” to the conversation. He added that solar panels were good for the environment rather than environmentally concerning.

“I'm not siding necessarily with the applicant,” he said. “But I think maybe just a little bit of generosity and acceptance might go a long way.”

The applicants' representative, SunCommon installer Travis Wilber, also expressed surprise at his neighbors’ response to the project, adding that he had never spoken with any of them until that night.

“I don't know how to respond to some of those things,” he said, reiterating his intention to fulfill the town’s requirements by planting trees and staying within the 12-kilowatt limit. “Anyone who can actually see me and can actually see the work I've been doing knows that I've been working diligently to make the property better to increase the physical presence of it to make it look nicer," Wilber said. "That's my goal. So it's unfortunate that I didn't meet any of you prior to today.”

The board specified that the applicant would have to provide a landscape plan with the size and species of the trees, as well as measurements of where they would be planted. The board also advised SunCommon Solar to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals to prove the project meets the 12-kilowatt requirement. The board kept the public hearing open pending the applicant’s landscape plan and ZBA appearance.

In Other Hurley News:

Board Meets Tuesday

The Hurley Town Board will hold a workshop meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in the West Hurley Fire Department building, 24 Wall St., West Hurley. The meeting is open to the public.

Plan Ahead for Brush Pickup

The Town of Hurley Highway Department will begin picking up brush on Monday, April 24. Pickup in West Hurley will start on that date. Pickup in Old Hurley will start on Monday, May 1. Once pickup has been completed in a given area, crews will not return there.

West Hurley residents should place their brush at the edge of the road the weekend of April 22-23. Residents of Old Hurley should do so the weekend of April 29-30. There will be no brush pickup at homes located on state highways.

Brush should be placed at a 45-degree angle to the road, making it easier for a loader to pick it up and place it in a truck. Brush items should be no larger than four inches in diameter and six feet in length. No yard debris or leaves should be mixed in.

Anyone for Tennis?

With the snow gone and temperatures warming up, tennis enthusiasts can enjoy court time at the Hurley town park on Dug Hill Road in West Hurley.

One of the two courts is currently available for use. The other is not yet ready because new parts for the netting assembly are needed, but the town expects this to be resolved soon. The park is open to the public during daylight hours.

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