Public Hearing on Lease to Ameresco Inc. for Solar Panels on the Town Landfill August 29, 2016

Public Hearing on Lease to Ameresco, Inc. for Solar Panels on the town landfill, August 29, 2016

I am against this proposal by Ameresco for placing solar panels on the landfill which is part the 140 acres that was given to the town under the Eno Trust, “for the poor of Simsbury.” The Trust states, “I hereby quit claim (land) to the town of Simsbury to used for the occupation maintenance and support of the Town poor of said Town and for no other purpose whatsoever…. “ This proposal is presently being reviewed for compliance by the Charities division of the Attorney General’s Office, I feel this proposal is inconsistent with the Eno Trust.

Landfills could have issues with smoke and fire from the deterioration of the waste in the landfill.

This proposed installation is in close proximity to the Simsbury Airport and could create a hindrance to air safety.

It appears from the documentation that there are many issues to be resolved before contracts can be signed. How can this Board sign a contract for 20 years when there are more questions than answers? It appears that the tail is wagging the dog. This board can’t even get any assurances that the numbers they are stating will even be viable in the future. Where will Ameresco be in 20 years? Where will Simsbury be in 20 years? This board should not sign a lease on contingencies that could last for 20 years that have not been resolved. We have no assurances that these numbers today will be viable in this competitive market tomorrow.

Ameresco is on the stock exchange and appears to be a penny stock with little if any profitability. They are in competition with companies such as Exxon and others that have a much better track record and are profitable.

It appears to me that Ameresco, is a fledgling company that is using Simsbury as part of their market share so someone will buy them out before they go broke. This is a very competitive industry with many companies that are here today are gone tomorrow.

With oil prices lowering on a regular basis, the alleged costs saved from solar energy will be miniscule or could cost more than other resources in the future.

Has Ameresco told the town how much energy will be generated during the winter with ice and snow? What are the overall projected savings? Has Ameresco provided a chart with projected cost savings over20 years?

Since iAmeresco is a middle management company, how can the taxpayers be assured that they will not sell out and leave us with these panels to manage or dismantle. Energy can be transferred from one group to another depending on the market share. The allocations can change with additional costs. There are many unintended consequences in these deals.

There are many undefined costs associated with these deals and this board should protect the taxpayers of the town.

This board accepted the delivery of Solar Panels from C-Tec Solar for the International Connecticut Skating Center and to date C-Tec Solar has not paid their personnel property taxes to the town.

Recently there was a proposal from Eversource that they could provide a gas line in Tarifville for $350,000 that would benefit 3 entities. Eversource finally withdrew this proposal. This was another proposal that couldn’t meet the smell test.

It appears that this agreement is inconsistent with the Eno Trust, will not perform as represented and should be rejected.