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The Sudbury Park and Recreation Commission (PRC) welcomed representatives from the Energy and Sustainability Committee to their February 9 meeting to discuss a proposed solar canopy over the Haskell Field parking lot. The discussion that ensued had less to do with solar energy than it had to do with the purview and authority of the PRC.
The PRC voted against the Haskell solar project in late 2025. At the time, they raised a laundry list of concerns ranging from safety to snow removal, but the primary concern appeared to be aesthetics. The solar project was rushed to a Special Town Meeting in December 2025 due to concerns that federal incentives for such projects would expire if the Town didn’t move quickly. Ultimately, the article was indefinitely postponed, along with two other solar projects, when the Town realized it had more time and could further engage boards and committees if they pushed the articles to the Annual Town Meeting in 2026.
With Annual Town Meeting fast approaching, the Energy and Sustainability Committee is making the rounds to build support for the solar canopy projects. However, chair Rami Alwan and vice chair Olga Faktorovich Allen struggled to gain any noticeable sign of support from the members of the PRC. They explained that the canopy would generate as much energy as the new Fairbank Community Center consumes in a year. They also answered questions about safety, snow plowing, process and maintenance.
Vice Chair Laurie Eliason was not interested in taking a position on the projects until they could review renderings of what it might look like on the property. That’s as close as Alwan and Allen got to a supportive statement from a PRC member.
Chair Mara Huston voiced disappointment that the PRC had yet to receive a legal opinion from KP Law regarding the project. The PRC wanted to know if the solar project at Haskell could go forward without getting their approval.
Huston also closed out the conversation voicing frustration with the Town Manager, alleging that the PRC had been “ignored” in other recent decisions made by the administration. Huston did not reference any specific incidents, but it was an obvious warning shot that the PRC feels disrespected and was willing to oppose major infrastructure projects to reassert the power they believe they hold.
The process used for this type of project poses a unique challenge for proponents. Alwan and Allen explained that the sequence of ‘power purchase agreement’ projects was not like typical capital projects. Town Meeting will need to approve a lease with a contractor before a geotechnical study can be completed, and that cost is covered by the contractor. Virtually all costs are covered by the contractor in these types of projects, which is why getting some form of upfront commitment from the Town is required by the contractor. If Town Meeting approves the lease, a final design will be created. Member Granger Atkeson voiced a concern that there was no guarantee that the project would come back before the PRC for a final approval after that design is completed.
Given the PRC concerns about safety and snow removal were largely allayed by Alwan during the conversation, the emphasis on final design approval appeared to come back to the PRC’s prior concerns about aesthetics.
PRC member Bobby Beagan raised a practical concern when he questioned if the solar project was jumping ahead of an upcoming planning exercise for the Haskell Field and Fairbank Community Center parcels. He and other members shared a worry that speeding ahead on the solar canopy would limit their options to plan future uses of the space.
Beagan made it clear to Alwan and Allen that he opposed the solar project last year, and he hadn’t change his position at all since that vote, or even during the course of their discussion that evening.
Vivian Zeng, director of the new Health and Community Services department, informed the PRC that Town Manager Andy Sheehan will be talking with KP Law on Wednesday, February 11 about this matter. The legal opinion will prove to be consequential. If the PRC has full control over what happens at the Haskell parking lot, then the project appears to be “dead on a arrival.” However, if the PRC does not have that level of authority over the parking lot, the Town could attempt to push the project through despite PRC opposition.
With an estimated $3.5 million in energy savings over the 25-year lifespan of the project, the Town has quite a bit of incentive to move the project forward with or without the support of the PRC. Given the PRC concerns relate to a separate, long-term planning project for Haskell, as well as personal aesthetic preferences and what appeared to be a breakdown of trust between the PRC and the administration, there may not be enough time left before Annual Town Meeting to mend the relationship, account for their practical concerns, and win over their support.