Town Manager Nominates Three For Solar Bylaw Working Group

Town Manager Paul Bockelman has nominated three people to fill three of the four remaining open positions on the town’s Solar Bylaw Working Group. Nominated to fill the three positions reserved for town residents are:

• Robert Brooks,  of South Orchard Drive 
• Daniel Corkran, of Pomeroy Lane 
• Martha Hanner, of Alyssum Drive

The appointments will commence once they are approved by the full town council and will continue through May 31, 2023.

Bockelman had previously appointed four people to the working group. They are:

• Janet McGowan (representing the Planning Board)
• Dwayne Breger (representing the Energy and Climate Action Committee)
• Laura Pagliarulo (representing the Conservation Commission)
• Jack Jemsek (representing the Water Supply Protection Commission)

The Board of Health has yet to put forward its designated nominee for the working group.

Bockelman provided the following biographical profiles for the latest nominees.

Profiles
Robert Brooks is a retired wildlife/forestry research scientist who has conducted some climate related research. He previously served on the Conservation Commission until 2019. As a member of the Conservation Commission,  Brooks has experience writing, revising, and implementing wetlands bylaws and regulations.

Daniel Corkran  is a researcher at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst studying the environmental impacts of lithium mines, which supply the principal component of the lithium batteries used in battery storage for solar energy. He has also served as an environmental consultant. He is a hydrogeologist who brings an analytical approach to problems and challenges. This is the first time he has volunteered his services to the Town.

Martha Hanner is a planetary scientist who brings a general scientific approach to the question of a new solar bylaw. She was part of the League of Women Voters energy study committee. In her professional career at NASA, Hanner worked with others solving complex technical issues. She will bring the ability to work as a team member to build consensus to balance development with environmental concerns.

Working Group Charge
The charge for the working group is as follows:

The charge of the Solar Bylaw Working Group is to develop a solar zoning bylaw and establish a clear process and guidelines to support the permitting, siting, and construction of solar projects, including battery storage, in a way that protects the health, safety and welfare of community members, the environment, and natural resources. To develop the solar zoning bylaw, the SBWG will engage the community to ascertain community values, identify criteria and standards to be used in reviewing and permitting proposed solar installations including battery storage, and identify and prioritize locations for possible solar development, including large-scale ground-mounted, roof-top, and parking lot canopies.

More specifically, the Solar Bylaw Working Group will:

• Review the town-funded solar resource assessment that will identify and prioritize locations for solar installations, including battery storage for possible solar development, and to guide and encourage responsible development of solar installations. The SBWG will help engage the community to ascertain community values, identify criteria and standards to be used in reviewing the bylaw, process, and guidelines.
• Establish a clear process and guidelines to support the siting, review, permitting, and construction of solar projects including battery storage in a way that protects the health, safety, and welfare of community members, the environment, and natural resources, and
• Develop a solar bylaw that will be transmitted to the Town Council and Planning Board for review.