At its April meeting, the Londonderry Utilities Committee and its energy subcommittee continued discussions on several long-term initiatives, including the possibility of developing a public solar array for the town. While members expressed interest in pursuing new energy projects, progress remained slow as the Committee worked through site analysis and regulatory hurdles.
“We’re working on the opportunity to create some kind of solar facility,” said Committee member Mike Speltz. “That’s going slowly, but we’re doing a GIS analysis to try and identify sites.”
One potential avenue involves learning from local businesses already using solar power. Speltz noted that Stonyfield Organic, which operates a large facility in Londonderry, has installed solar canopies over its parking lot.
“We’re working with Stonyfield to see how they went out and did their parking lot solar array,” Speltz said. “We also want to see if we can use this app called Solar App Plus that a homeowner and their installer can use to expedite the permitting process in town.”
Committee members acknowledged that finding a suitable location for a public solar array, and navigating the permitting process, has been challenging. Vice-Chair Jeff McGraw suggested reaching out to other organizations with successful solar installations.
“There’s solar on the top of the parking garage at the airport,” McGraw said. “I can call them to see if they have a developer who helped with that. It’d give us somebody to call.”
The Committee then shifted to water-related updates. Member Anne Fenn shared her interest in conducting deeper research into the quality of the municipal Pennichuck water system, especially as more residents transition away from private wells. PFAS contamination in the High Range Road area remains a concern, and not all affected properties fall under the Saint-Gobain consent decree.
Committee members John Mahon and Martha Smith emphasized the importance of coordinating with neighboring communities.
“Water is regional. It’s not a local issue,” McGraw said. “So, we’re going to try to make friends with our neighbors.”
Administrative Services Director Kirsten Hildonen provided an update on the town’s ongoing work to establish water special assessment districts for homes slated to connect to the expanded municipal water system.
“I had to cancel a meeting on that because I didn’t want to get anyone sick,” Hildonen said. “I’m working on looking for a new date on that.” She added that May would be a “big month” for finalizing details on the assessment districts.
Mahon reminded residents that state financial assistance remains available for those outside the consent decree area who wish to connect to public water.
“There is, and I think it’s still funded, a state fund for folks to hook into water systems,” Mahon said. “It’s $10,000 if you’re hooking into a public water system, and up to $5,000 if you’re putting in your own POE [Point of Entry] filtration system.”
Town Council Liaison Ron Dunn clarified that residents who previously installed POE systems can still receive the full $10,000 incentive if they later connect to the municipal system.
“You have a maximum of $10,000 that you, as a resident, can get,” Dunn said.