Andean land

Over the past year the Town of Glenville received and approved five applications for large-scale solar. The town’s solar law restricts such projects to parcels located within a half mile of a substation, and required developers to pay a park improvement fee, we call Solar for Parks, to offset the displacement of open space.

The first solar project, proposed by U. S. Light Energy, came in the form of a Planned Development District (PDD) consisting of two (2) complementary commercial land uses. The PDD mechanism is also a zoning change meant for a unique property offering a flexible and creative development of the site that benefits the town. In this instance, the project parcel is a 42-acre property flag lot located at 66 Freemans Bridge Road. This project will require the clearing existing defunct greenhouses on the property to prepare the site for future commercial development. A 4.125-megawatt (MW) community solar farm will be constructed on the rear portion of the property on approximately 26.27 acres.

Active Solar Development, LLC proposed development of two ground mounted solar arrays identified as Module 1 and Module 2. Module one is rated at 6.551 MW and Module 2 is rated at 6.499 MW. The solar project takes up 44 acres, disturbing approximately 19 acres of the parcel located at 81 Freemans Bridge Rd.

Project applicant Swaggertown Solar I, LLC proposed development of a ground mounted solar array on an existing field historically used for agricultural purposes. The parcel is located at 653 Swaggertown, owned by Glenville Solar Farm, LLC. The Town of Glenville has two existing substations – one on Washington Avenue in Scotia within half-a-mile of the project at 81 Freemans Bridge Rd. The second is located on 633 Swaggertown Road, halfa-mile from the two Swaggertown Rd proposals.

Parks & Recreation

As always, spring brings a renewed energy to our town parks. The town board’s vision for the ARPA funds has created a unique opportunity to invest in our parks for the benefit of our youth. These monies are being used for capital projects such as new roofs on park buildings, equipment sheds, running utilities to fields and a variety of amenities for youth sports participants. With many turning out with the start of spring sports, residents will see the improvements being undertaken through this program.

Progress can also be seen as we take our first steps toward development of the Veterans Legacy Park as the site is prepped for the installation of walking paths. Thanks to the developer of the Dutch Meadows project, additional acreage is being dedicated to this park to serve our veterans.

As we look to expand and improve our parklands, we also work to protect our existing natural resources. One way to safeguard our natural areas is to reduce the risk of invasive plants and insects. A boot brush station has been added to Andersen Park as part of the town’s initiative to do just that. The boot brush station, completed as part of an Eagle Scout project, provides visitors with information about local invasive species and gives them a means to clean their shoes before and after a hike to remove foreign material such as seeds from the bottoms of their shoes.

To help inform residents about tree health issues, the town also hosted a forum with speakers from DEC, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Schenectady County groups to discuss a variety of potential threats to our trees. The video recording of the forum has been posted on the town website along with further information about gypsy/ spongy moth, oak wilt, hemlock woolly adelgid and other tree pests or diseases.

The parcel is split into two portions by the roadway – an east and west portion. The solar farm located on the western portion of the parcel is rated at 4.49 MW. The project will take up 18 acres on the western portion of the parcel consisting of open agricultural fields with some wooded areas crossing the site and existing power lines and cleared utility routes for overhead power transmission lines located immediately to the south of the western solar farm. At the same time, project applicant Swaggertown Solar I, LLC proposed development of a ground mounted solar array on the eastern portion of the parcel. The solar farm is rated at 5.79 MW. The project will take up 15.3 acres on the eastern portion of the parcel consisting of open agricultural fields with some wooded areas. There are existing power lines and cleared utility routes for overhead power transmission lines through the site located to the west of this solar farm. On a final note, the town will be introducing a memorial tree and bench program to allow groups or individuals to donate trees or benches to memorialize or celebrate a friend or family member. Trees and benches purchased through the program will be placed in town parks or along town trails. Further details about the program will be made available shortly.