Solar Farm at Fruit Street Could Save Hopkinton Millions

The Hopkinton Sustainable Green Committee can chalk up a win after their article on the annual town meeting warrant was approved 109-33.

Voters spent the better part of an hour discussing the merit and legitimacy of allowing the selectmen to enter a 20-year lease and power purchase agreement for a solar farm on the town's Fruit Street property. 

Henry Kunicki, Chairman of the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), argued that because nearly $500,000 from the CPC had been used to purchase the property as presented in the master plan if the land is subject to any other use that money should be returned.

Town meeting voters did not agree. They voted down an amendment by Kunicki after speakers argued that the money had been intended to preserve different portions of the property.

While discussing Kunicki's amendment, The Board of Selectmen indicated that they are in the process of re-evaluating the mater plan for the site. They recently appointed a committee charged with redeveloping the master plan after several uses, including a school, were voted down.

Other conversation surrounded the financial benefit to the town. As designed the town would purchase the electricity at a lower rate, thus saving the town on their electricity bill every month. Another option is to pay full rate for electricity and have the developer give the town a check for what they would have saved.

According to Andy Boyce, Chairman of the sustainable green committee, conservative estimates place the savings at $500,000 annually for the life of the 20-year lease. The solar farm could produce 90 percent of the energy used by municipal buildings.

Although the vote was to allow the selectmen to enter into a 20-year lease agreement, they have not yet gone through the bid process and do not have a lease in hand.

"This does not tie the town's hands," Frank D'Urso, a member of the sustainable green committee, said. "It just gives us options if the right deal comes along."