The Livermore Falls Planning Board votes Wednesday evening to hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22 at the town office to further discuss proposed changes to the Solar Ordinance. From left are Gayle Long, Carole Barker, Tom Barker, Tim Fournier and Bernal “Bill” Bailey. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

LIVERMORE FALLS — Planning Board members Wednesday evening voted to further discuss changes to the town’s Solar Ordinance at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22.

In proposing limiting the size of solar farms, Selectman Jim Long advocated for having voters act on changes at the annual town meeting.

Town Manager Carrie Castonguay said Feb. 13 is the deadline for approving warrant articles for that vote. The annual town meeting is held by referendum on April 29 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Livermore Falls Fire Station on Park Street.

Long said, “We had a question about whether or not we wanted to have a moratorium on solar farms.”

Selectmen chose not to go that route, Long said. He was approaching the Planning Board about adding limitations to the size of solar farms allowed in town, to perhaps 15 or 20 acres.

In Greene, “a Massachusetts developer put together 600 acres of land and proposed to put a solar farm on six acres in one project, and the town really didn’t take too well to that,” Long said. “It’s all clustered around the CMP transmission line, because that’s the cheapest way to do it, in terms of connection. And I was thinking the big assets that the town has is the CMP transmission line — that we have — in terms of a resource. That and the river for recreational purposes.”

The developer offered Greene roughly $2 million in additional taxes for the first year, and $1 million per year thereafter, Long said. The town’s annual budget is $2 million to begin with. But the townspeople didn’t really care for it, and 400 people came out to a special meeting and resoundingly voted it down, he said.

Greene’s solar ordinance is similar to the one proposed for Livermore Falls — they amended their ordinance so future solar farms could not exceed 15 acres, Long said. They wanted to have solar farms on a more manageable basis, not do away with them completely, he said.

Page 4 of Greene’s ordinance states, “The maximum area a solar energy system may cover is 15 acres, including any structures, security fencing and screening.”

Long said Livermore Falls is ripe for solar farms along its CMP corridor, and Greene did all the legwork for amending its ordinance. He asked if the Planning Board would be in favor of something similar.

“Our ordinance doesn’t have restrictions,” Long said. He said wording could be included to allow for a variance from selectmen if one was ever needed.

Planning Board member Tim Fournier asked about a solar farm being approved for 15 acres, then three years later the owner asks for another one on the same property.

Planning Board member Gayle Long said the owner would have to come back to the board and go through the whole process again.

There would be added costs to do so, making it less attractive to developers, Jim Long said. He proposed having the amendment ready for consideration at the annual town meeting so the town wouldn’t be facing situations like those in Farmington or the one attempted in Greene.

Castonguay said there had been discussion about fire department protection for solar farms, and suggested that at the same time the National Fire Protection Association language be added to make sure firefighters are protected.

Gayle Long said she would write up the proposed changes and get them to the board members to review prior to Wednesday’s meeting.