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On Monday, November 17, the Sudbury Park and Recreation Commission voted down a motion to support an article at the December 1 Special Town Meeting that would authorize the Select Board to proceed with a Power Purchase Agreement for a solar canopy in the parking lot at Haskell Field.
The canopy, which would be a scaled down version of what already exists at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, was accelerated for consideration at Special Town Meeting following the passage of the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act” earlier this year. That legislation gutted incentives for solar projects, setting off an industry-wide scramble to safe-harbor projects and lock in incentives. In Sudbury, that included projects at Ephraim Curtis Middle School, the Sudbury Police Station, and Haskell Field. The Sudbury Public Schools School Committee has already voted to authorize the Superintendent to proceed with an agreement for an canopy at Ephraim Curtis Middle School bus parking lot.
While the presentation from a Town solar partner focused on the financial benefits of a solar canopy, the Park and Recreation Commission discussed the Haskell canopy primarily in terms of aesthetics. Three of the four commissioners present aligned in their opposition to the project, largely based on aesthetic considerations. Member Granger Atkeson voted in support, while member Ben Carmel was not present.
Sudbury’s own Park and Recreation Director, Dennis Mannone, spoke in opposition of this staff-proposed project which would offset 100% of the energy consumption of the Fairbank Community Center and Atkinson Pool. He cited snow management and aesthetics. “Where is the snow gonna go, and how do you pile it up after, and… where does all that go, do we have to plow only certain areas now, who cleans off the snow from the thing?” Mannone continued “Then it drips on the ground, and we’ve… that’s our main parking lot, essentially, for Fairbanks. So in the wintertime, when the solar panels melt, and all that water and ice comes off the solar panel and ends up on the ground.”
Mannone concluded on an aesthetics point that aligned with the majority of the commissioners “Now we’re gonna have ice puddles everywhere, and again, I’m… I’m assuming a lot here. I don’t know enough about it, but, you know, aesthetics, you know, you want to keep the rural character of Sudbury, and… Fairbanks both ways, between Hudson, Maynard, Stowe, it’s a gateway cut-through, and it’s nice to see a nice, beautiful field.”
Mannone has previously voiced concern about the utility bills in the new community center building and the impact on his department’s budget. Commissioners have also advocated for the Town to increase funding to the department in the overall operating budget. The solar project would offset costs, and create space in future budgets, but that consideration did not feature prominently in discussions. Importantly, a rooftop solar project is still planned for the Fairbank Community Center.
While the Park and Recreation Commission was voting to oppose the Haskell project later in their meeting, the Finance Committee (FinCom) was getting the same presentation in their meeting. FinCom did not take a vote on the three articles for solar projects at Special Town Meeting, opting instead to vote at the next meeting. However, during discussion it appeared that the majority was opposed to the articles. Concerns largely centered on a determination that the utility bill savings weren’t as compelling when accounting for inflation, and the short notice limited their ability to thoroughly vet the project. They will discuss the articles again next week.
By the next afternoon, on November 18, the Energy and Sustainability Committee was discussing the position taken by the Park and Recreation Commission and the apparent lack of support in the Finance Committee. They opted to vote to pay for the first few years of losses on the Police Station canopy, which amount to a bit more than $10,000, to make that project more appealing. The Haskell and Curtis project were cash-flow positive from the start, with the Curtis project offsetting over a third of the usage in that building. Members of that committee were dismayed at the lack of understanding of the project across the Finance Committee and Park and Recreation Commission, in part because member Rami Alwan had already gone to the Finance Committee earlier this year to present on solar projects and power purchase agreements.
In a major blow to the project, the November 18 meeting of the Select Board featured a discussion with Town Manager Andy Sheehan who informed the board that staff was leaning towards indefinitely postponing all three solar projects, with eye towards bringing them back for Annual Town Meeting in May of 2026. That would tighten the timeline for construction significantly, but the projects would still be feasible.
More time would give the Town another shot at gaining committee support… and perhaps getting senior staff into alignment on the projects. While Sudbury sorts itself out, the window on incentives is closing, supply chains are changing, and the path forward looks less clear by the day.