WOODSTOCK — Woodstock plans to hold a public hearing via Zoom May 5 on a proposed solar project.

With current uncertainty regarding the status of public meetings because of the coronavirus situation, selectmen decided at their own Zoom meeting Tuesday to go with the online option.  The hearing will start at 6 p.m. More information will be made available on how residents can participate.

The $10 million project, to be located on the Felt farm off Cushman Road, has been under review by the Planning Board.

The project would encompass about 30 acres and would feature roughly 1,100 “racks” of 14 photovoltaic cells each according to Nexamp, the Massachusetts company that would design, build and operate the facility.  Each rack would be approximately 30 feet long and would rest on a steel stanchion. They would be tilted to the south, with the bottom of the racks about 2.5 feet off the ground and the tops about 8.5 to nine feet up.
Power generated by the cells would be converted to a voltage compatible with the nearby power grid line, and would be carried there by underground wires. The project would be approximately 150 feet off public roads.
Woodstock property owners who choose the project as their electricity provider would get 10 percent off their electricity production costs, Nexamp said.
In a related topic, selectmen are seeking members for a solar project moratorium committee.  Although the Felt farm project was well-received by most residents at a January presentation on it, town officials said they believe it is a good idea to put in place a moratorium on future projects until an ordinance can be developed to specifically cover such developments.
In other business Tuesday, Town Manager Vern Maxfield said it is looking more like the annual Town Meeting, postponed from March 30, will take place in June. “July and August are going to be busy,” he said, with the tax commitment time now following more closely on the Town Meeting and the SAD 44 school budget vote now postponed from June to July.
Woodstock may also hold a public hearing in June on the question of the town “opting in” on allowing adult marijuana retail sales in Woodstock. Such sales were banned in a Town Meeting vote last year, but the town was asked to reconsider by residents interested in the business.

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