Otis plans special town meeting

OTIS – Stockbridge is not the only town hosting a late winter special town meeting.

The Town of Otis will hold one to discuss a potential large-scale wind energy project on Feb. 27.

The main warrant item is $400,000 in funding for the design of a wind turbine development on Lee Westfield Road.

Funding would come from the town’s hefty stabilization fund, which currently holds more than $1 million.

The town has applied for a grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center that could reimburse the town for 95 percent of the cost of the study, leaving the town to only pay $20,000.

Energy Committee Chairman Larry Gould has said the project could be completed by the end of the year if this funding and the additional cost to build the units are passed.

If the design funds are approved, the project will also need additional approval at the May town meeting. The total project will cost more than $6 million, and the town hopes the energy generated would be able to power municipal buildings, lower residential power costs and generate revenue through the sale of extra power.

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The town will also vote to spend $5,000 to install a shallow well at the water treatment plant. The work on the project would mainly be done by the town’s staff with parts of the project being contracted out.

Article three is to provide $800 to place a small memorial stone in honor of Ed Williams, who donated the land the wind project would be placed on, at the proposed turbine site.

Posted by Kameron Z. Spaulding on February 21, 2013. Filed under Community News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry