There’s been talk about solar panels coming to the roof of Rochester Memorial School for some time now, and on September 5, the Rochester School Committee took action to make that a reality and provide a significant cost savings for the school district.

            Matt Shortsleeve of Select Energy gave a presentation on his company’s proposal to bring solar energy to RMS, a location he says is a good candidate for roof-mounted solar panels that could save the district around $600,000 throughout the 20-year life of the contract.

            Select Energy previously won the Request for Proposal (RFP) process under the PowerOptions Program, Massachusetts’ non-profit energy consortium, which serves 400 member communities, non-profit organizations, schools, and hospitals in the state.

            RMS, under the authority of the School District and the Board of Selectmen, would contract directly with Select Energy, which will then design, engineer, permit, procure the equipment, install, and maintain the equipment while the school district enjoys a significant savings in utilities.

            The Rochester School District must first enter into an agreement, along with the selectmen, with Select Energy, sign a lease granting Select Energy access to the location, and agree on a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement with the Town of Rochester.

            Shortsleeve said his company has so far serviced 65 similar projects across the state with success.

            According to Shortsleeve, roughly 60 percent of the energy the panels produce would provide the school’s annual electricity use, and extra power produced would be exported to the grid and returned to the school at the same “net-metering” rate. The district would enter into a standard power purchase agreement specifying the design of the project, the rate per kilowatt-hour, determination values, expenses, and terms of the lease.

            The lease, Shortsleeve specified, “[It] just gives us access rights to install and maintain… and service the equipment at least once a year.” As for the associated costs of installing and maintaining the equipment, Select Energy would pay for it all.

            Some school districts sublease the sites with the host town, which is what Rochester Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar said Rochester’s town counsel recommended.

            Shortsleeve suggested the parties decide whether to move forward or not sooner rather than later since the tax incentives will only decrease as time passes, which means contracted electricity rates would begin to rise.

            “The sooner we go, the better chance that you’ll get a better rate,” said Shortsleeve. “It will creep up on you if you wait.”

            He estimated a rate of about $0.049 per kilowatt-hour if the deal goes through before 2020, a savings of roughly $30,000 a year in electricity costs to the school. In 2020, the offered rate could increase to $0.059, “…Because tax credit drops, so the rate goes up a little bit.”

            “If we can take advantage of it, then why not?” said Facilities Director Gene Jones. “The biggest thing is to get the group to agree… because… they need to get their engineering out here… And Eversource ain’t never in a hurry to interconnect, am I right?”

            Jones said he believes the RMS roof could manage the added weight of the panels; however, he added, “Quite honestly, I’m not an engineer and I want to see what an engineer says.” He continued, “Monetarily, yeah, 4 cents a kilowatt, we’d all like that for 20 years, but I want to know what it’s gonna do to the facility.

            “Go ahead,” he urged the committee, “because it sounds like a sound project, but let’s see the engineering side of it… and if it looks okay – but I even think, get one of our own engineers to take a look at it and see where we are.”

            School Committee member Tina Rood was in favor of moving ahead.

            “Between the cost savings, the green impact on the environment and the world, and, then, as a Green Community, if this allows us opportunities for other grants without harming our building, it’s a win all around for the Town of Rochester. Investigating is the way to go. It doesn’t hurt us to investigate.”

            Rood made the motion to authorize Superintendent Doug White to enter into an agreement on the committee’s behalf, subject to mutual approval by the Board of Selectmen. The committee approved the motion.

            Selectman Greenwood “Woody” Hartley, present at the meeting, said the matter would be added to the board’s next meeting agenda.

            The next meeting of the Rochester School Committee is scheduled for October 3 at 6:30 pm at Rochester Memorial School.

Rochester School Committee

By Jean Perry

            Some of the cases were continuances of continuances that were again continued, while at least one case was being heard for the first time. That’s the way things go in the world of conservation oversight. And so, on September 3 as the Rochester Conservation Commission conducted its due diligence on behalf of the town and its citizens, five hearings were continued.

            Engineer Richard Charon represented Daniel Paradis for property located at 443 Neck Road, a parcel situated on the shores of Snipatuit Pond, in a Notice of Intent hearing.

            Charon said that the conceptual plans included the razing of a 1930’s cottage and the construction of a four-bedroom home. However, he impressed upon the commission that the plans were speculative, more to determine the viability of the property for future new construction versus actual plans of record for an upcoming groundbreaking.

            The conceptual plans, Charon pointed out, also included a freshwater well and a 1,000-gallon septic tank.

            Vice Chairman Daniel Gagne asked that the plans be revised to include an emergency generator that would be connected to the pump system of the septic, and said, “If the tank over-tops there’ll be sewage heading for the wetlands.”

            Charon agreed that was a good idea.

            The hearing was continued until September 17.

            Also continued until September 17 was a continued hearing for an Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation filed by Simpson Solar for property owned by John Simpson, 102 Quaker Lane. Neither the applicant nor the representative was present on this evening. The commission accepted a letter requesting the continuance.

            Two hearings, both represented by Julie Goodwin of Prime Engineering, were also for Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation for properties located at 0 Featherbed Lane and 0 Cushman Road. These properties are part of a large wetlands system Goodwin described as “swamp”, with the Featherbed Lane parcel requiring confirmation of 3,000 linear feet of bordering vegetated wetland, and the Cushman Road parcel for 2,800 linear feet.

            These submittals, along with at least two others, are being proposed by developer by SunRaise Investments, Portsmouth, NH for solar arrays.

            The hearings were both continued until October 1 to allow the conservation agent, Laurell Farinon, time to review wetland flagging in the field.

            Coming closer to shovels in the ground, but also continued, was a reopened hearing for an over 55 residential development planned for Rounseville Road adjacent to Plumb Corner.

            Representing the applicants Gibbs Bray and Patricia Bray was Brian Wallace of J.C. Engineering, Inc. for a Notice of Intent filed by REpurpose Properties.

            Wallace explained that work had been ongoing since May with peer review consultant Ken Motta of Field Engineering, and said that Motta’s comments had been incorporated and, while the plans before the commission were an earlier version, updated plans would be completed in the coming few days.

            Gagne asked that, when the applicant returned to the commission, the plans include a separate layout of the erosion controls that will be used. He was also asked that permanent demarcation of the “No Touch Zone” be included pre- and post-construction. Wallace agreed with these requests. The hearing was continued until October 1.

            Also coming before the commission was Michael Murphy for property located on Mary’s Pond Road for an Order of Conditions for work that never took place. A Certificate of Compliance to clear the deed was granted, allowing a property sale to move forward.

            And last up was a request to withdraw without prejudice a Notice of Intent filed by T-Mobile for the installation of a 25KV generator on property located at 98 Bowen’s Lane. The request was granted.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission is scheduled for September 17 at 7:00 pm in the Rochester Town Hall meeting room.

Rochester Conservation Commission

By Marilou Newell

Selectman Greenwood “Woody” Hartley asked during the September 3 Rochester Board of Selectmen’s meeting to look ahead toward the spring annual election, when the town clerk position officially changes from an elected position to an appointed one.

            Town Meeting voters in May approved the article proposing an appointed rather than elected town clerk, an idea first presented to the other selectmen in April by Hartley himself upon current Town Clerk Naida Parker’s announcement that she would be retiring from the post after 35 years.

            On September 3, Hartley asked that the matter be added to the next meeting’s agenda in order to prepare for the transition with a “complete plan” to include a proposed budget. Perhaps the selectmen might even have a candidate chosen come the annual April election, Hartley said.

            “[There will be] a quick turnover after election,” said Hartley. “If we start talking about it now, it’ll give us time to put together a thoughtful plan.”

            In other business, Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar announced that the Plumb Library received a donation of $17,060 from the George E. & Katherine H. Church Revocable Trust for “general uses and purposes” at the library.

            The next regular meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for September 16 at the Rochester Town Hall at 6:00 pm.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry