Looking east towards new storage facility (in red)Since no homeowners are within sitelines of the modest installation and it is being constructed on private land not currently used for jogging, dog walking or nesting by a threatened species of tweety bird chances are, unlike the town Solar Farm, it will fly through the permitting process.
Atkins (founded 1887) is one of those rare private sector, for profit, businesses that is Politically Correct enough to easily negotiate the deadly Amherst permitting process, having recently won a coveted beer and wine license from the Amherst Select Board and property tax breaks from Town Meeting.
After all, farms have relied on sunlight forever.
One year later it was completed (June, 2012)
31 comments:
Hear, hear! Now, Larry, tell me how (in South Amherst) I can get cost effective gummint grants to put solar on my house!
Actually I think the town and BlueWave were also talking about solar panels on town buildings (schools mainly) AND individual houses.
Just curious: why isn't Atkins putting these right
on their store rooftop?
Couldn't agree with you more, Larry. See how easy it is when people do the right thing and don't put an industrial site in people's backyard, don't risk environmental damage to a sensitive landfill, and don't try to ram it through without regard to other people's property values for the houses they spent hundreds of thousand of their hard earned dollars for. Just shows that when you do it the right way, suddenly there are no nimbys.
There are major differences in that Atkins is a private entity and they own the land.
The only two entities close enough to see the solar installation are Applewood Retirement and Eric Carle Museum--both of whom purchased their property from Atkins.
Atkins is going through the same public process as the town (actually one far, far easier.)
The old landfill is not exactly a "sensitive landfill" and the wear and tear brought on by soccer fields would be far greater than that of a Solar Farm.
If buying a large expensive house next to an unlined landfill did not hurt your property value, I don't think a shiny new solar array is going to do it.
Really? Then by all means put hundreds of sola panels behind your backyard and enjoy the buzzing from the electric boxes.
I live contiguous with the DPW (best neighbors you could ask for, but not exactly silent).
Unlike the DPW, the solar panels make no noise whatsoever after dark.
Was the DPW there before you bought your house? If so, your house valuation already reflected that fact.
Was the big old unlined landfill there before you bought yours?
Yup, and the town represented that it would be used for light recreation. If they had said it was for the DPW I wouldn't have bought it.
And you have that in writing? A legal agreement between little old you and the town?
Don't need one because our town is honest and lives up to its word. Unless you are sugggesting otherwise.
I'm suggesting you had a deal between yourself, a developer and a real estate agent.
Amherst had a deal between the town and the DEP.
The DEP has to approve the use of the old landfill as a Solar Farm. They will not do so if it's illegal or endangers the environment.
Never met the developer. I just went by everything that the town said when they closed the landfill and moved across the street. Convenient how you have amnesia all of a sudden. Shall we dig out all the Amherst Bulletins from when the landfill closed. Let's see what the town said then. They are going to look like fools in court when all the past public statements are read into the record.
When dealing with real estate what people said is of no consequence. Get it in writing.
Didn't the town say, in writing, that it would protect the landfill for recreational use? Didn't it take state funds in exchange for that promise? Does that promise mean anything? Shouldn't it?
If the current town employees can flaunt past promises made by the town, what does their word mean now? Who would trust anything they say--or the legal documents they sign?
The town is supported by taxes paid by its residents -- residents who also pay state taxes. Local and state employees work for citizens and they are bound to follow laws and the legal instrments -- just like us.
Larry, your position is insupportable.
Oh I think my position has plenty of support. Take Town Meeting, for instance (please!) where your arguments lost by a historically HUGE margin.
I agree with Anon 2:39. Because of the way the Town of Amherst so cavalierly dealth and continues to deal with the requirement that the land be used only for recreation I am extremely hesitant to trust anything they say.
I don't know much about what was signed and what is hear say. But did anyone bring these documents to the Selectboard meeting? I'm just curious because that is the first thing I'd throw at the town if they indeed signed any legally bound document that expresses land use. If there is no such document signed by the town, but more of a verbal by either the developer, builders, or the town then you've probably been had and don't have much recourse. This day in age everyone should know the days of a good word and a firm hand are long gone, and you need everything in a iron clad contract that has all the proper signatures, and often that doesn't even save you.
I am surprised that no one on the Select Board is looking at this issue. Or anyone from the planning department or conservation. Why the silence?
The town did more than a hand shake. It agreed with the state that it would only use the land for recreation in exchange for state money. The town accepted that money, which is stone cold proof of that agreement. Town meeting can vote however it wants, it won't be the first time that those lemmings drove the town off an expensive cliff. The only difference is that this time Larry is one of those lemmings.
Actually there Anon 3:58 PM, if you were paying attention the Select Board went into executive session last week to "discuss litigation strategy".
So I'm sure they spent a fair amount of time "looking at this issue".
But, unlike some people, they are not dumb enough to come here and telegraph the plan.
Please let it go.
The state/town might have thought that recreation on the landfill was a good idea in the 80s, but they don't think that now.
Times change. Priorities change.
It's that simple.
So instead of collecting information and talking about a key issue with the community, they are behind closed doors getting briefed and preparing to spend tens of thousands of dollars. Hmmmmm. Is this leadership?
Well when they did have an open public hearing the first week of April to take input and explain their position, the natives were a tad restless.
You mean, when they announced the project as a fait accompli?
Umm, I mean the public hearing held before they went to Town Meeting and before going to the DEP with a mountain of paperwork still required and before going to the Zoning Board of Appeals who will have to approve it.
And if you remember (or maybe you just bought your house within the past 9 years or so) the ZBA turned down the town ten years ago for expanding the height of the newer landfill, thus bringing about its closure.
Well, that was a lot of public process. The select board must be exhausted.
"Really? Then by all means put hundreds of solar panels behind your backyard and enjoy the buzzing from the electric boxes.
Anon. June 19, 2011 9:08 PM"
I know this is hard, but try to remember, it's actually *not* your backyard.
"Sustainable" in Amherst really means "my sustainable property values".
The good of the whole community? Nah.
June 25, 2011 9:59 AM
Nowwwwww we're finally getting it...
Welcome! Welcome, to fantasy Ponziville Island!!!
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