Mansfield Selectmen Vote to Buy Power from Proposed Solar Farm

The town of Mansfield will purchase power from a 1.25-megawatt solar farm from a proposed site located at the former Ispo and Campo Chemical sites on Branch Street.

In the face of opposition from abutters and residents, the selectmen, acting as the light commissioners, voted 3-2 to enter a power-purchase agreement and development agreement with IRG Mansfield.

Selectmen Jess Aptowitz and Oliver Kozlowski were the two dissenting votes.

“I listened to the neighbors, I hear about not having solar facilities in residential areas. You have a situation where you have industrial land surrounded by residential and at the end of the day I’m not entirely sure what could go there and realistically I think it would have been a better approach for the developer to meet with the neighbors early on before the proposal went through. There are ways to say ‘this is what could go there’ without sounding like you’re beating somebody up with it,” Kozlowski said after the vote.

He did admit however, that a vote in the opposite direction could have seen residents regretting their stance down the road.

As a property that allows for use “by right,” other projects that could have gone on the land include a warehouse, an industrial facility, and a storage facility.

Residents in attendance expressed concerns about the project, ranging from a perceived dismissal by the developers of their concerns that included health concerns, lighting, noise, and property values.

Representing IRG Mansfield, attorney Edward Valenzola defended the project, informing the selectmen that the inverters would be placed in the center of the project and comes with no traffic or lights.

“It’s a passive use project, no lights, no noise, no traffic, no vehicles. There will be something else if not solar. Go with the devil you know,” Valenzola told the selectmen.

Checking with local town assessors, the town was unable to find an example of a solar farm causing a reduction in the value of homes.

“When the prices were set they (assessors) had to see there was an industrial zone. Those prices were already affected by having an industrial site,” Valenzola said.

James Farley, who lives near the property, disagreed with the assessment on property values, countering that there is not enough data to make that decision.

His wife, Michelle Farley, said she was concern with possible health hazards involving the chemicals used to clean the panels.

Resident Julia Camp, whose Lincoln Street home abuts the bike path next to the proposed solar farm site, expressed disapproval for the plan, which was echoed by the majority of speakers present at the meeting.

“I don’t know if we can trust them at this point. They didn’t want to involve the community; they seem to want to push us away and don’t want us involved. As respect for other potential things, those don’t bother me because those are risks we know about. I’d rather deal with the known risks than the unknown risks that we don’t know about,” Camp said.

Responding to the estimated savings of $2 million over 25 years, Lincoln Road resident Sergio Martin said the savings broke down to 80 cents per month per home.

Selectman George Dentino, who voted, for the project, focused on making sure the area would be properly shielded with vegetation and trees.

“I want to try to hold on as much as we can to make this a good-looking project. They are already in the game and the game is going on. The best thing we can do is make sure it looks good and is safe,” Dentino said.

Next up is to finalize the power-purchase and development agreement between the town and the developers. According to Town Manager Bill Ross, the agreements would attempt to migrate the concerns expressed by residents.

Kozlowski said he would do everything he can to make sure all the concerned expressed by residents are addressed in the agreements.

Valanzola said after the vote that the developer would be happy to work with residents during the next phase.