Thursday, December 23, 2010

Lemons to lemonade

The old landfill (capped and lined)

DPW chief Guilford Mooring opened up sealed Request For Proposal bids this morning at 11:00 for reuse of the Old Landfill on Old Farms Road. All four bids concerned solar panel farms which take advantage of the large open space and do not require employees on site, who may be put off but the whiff of methane.

Two years ago the town rejected the only bidder proposing a 2.5 megawatt solar energy farm due to low annual lease payments (under $20,000). Today's proposals are potentially far better because of state and federal incentives private companies can now utilize.

Benefits to the town include annual lease payments, hefty property tax payments since the landfill operation would be taxable, and a source of potentially cheap energy.

Although neighbors on Larkspur Drive will not doubt complain about anything getting approved near their exclusive enclave.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I live on Larkspur Drive and though I know many people would miss walking their dogs on that site, a solar farm is a great idea and a fantastic neighbor. Bring it on!

Anonymous said...

Sorry if it doesn't have enough cars up on blocks, or trash in the streets for you.

Anonymous said...

Enclave? We will let you in but you are required to have a job.

Larry Kelley said...

Actually I may have one in the very near future doing my first love, journalism.

And to the chagrin of NIMBYs everywhere, it will give me a much bigger megaphone.

Anonymous said...

Praying you get the job Larry...

Larry Kelley said...

Thanks. It would actually increase my effectiveness by tenfold.

Anonymous said...

Correct.


Please god.

Anonymous said...

Don't all messages from Larkspur Drive have to be approved by the Queen of Larkspur? Isn't she the one who must always speak for Larkspur?

As Larkspur goes, so goes Amherst. What's good for Larkspur is good for Amherst, what's bad for Larkspur is bad for Amherst.

Thus it shall always be as long as the Queen of Larkspur rules over Amherst, its Town Meeting, and its Yahoo discussion group about Town Meeting.

Kristi Bodin said...

Aww, come on! This is the perfect place to build the extra soccer fields which are so heavily in demand in Amherst! Why on earth didn't someone propose that?

Larry Kelley said...

What a short memory you have my dear.

It was proposed ten or 15 years ago, but all those little feet running on top of generations of accumulated, errr, garbage may not be overly healthy.

Anonymous said...

who the hell is the queen of larkspur?

Larry Kelley said...

That would be Mother Mary Streeter,Amherst's top BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anybody)

uninformed local said...

Larry you've coined a phrase---"chagrin of NIMBYs". Similar to a pride of lions, gaggle of geese. Or bunch of BANANAs.