Clarktown Town Board Member George Hoehmann said the anticipated vote tonight on a study to evaluate possible installation of at the closed West Nyack landfill is a big step. Hoehmann, who has been championing the idea of solar panels at the landfill for several years, said if the board approves the feasibility study and hires the H2M Group, the study would be completed in 90 days. A solar panel field could offset some of the town’s electricity expenses.
“It will involve about eight meetings,” he said. “This is the final preliminary step to go to an RFP (Request for Proposals).”
The meetings will take place with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), vendors and others.
“It’s a great project,” he said. “It’s moving forward.”
Hoehmann expects the report should be completed by early summer and include maps of where the solar field could be installed, plus recommendations for the size of the system and a cost-benefit analysis. While the study is in progress, the town will work on applying for a grant from NYSERDA to pay the cost of the $38,000 evaluation.
Town Supervisor Alex Gromack said, "We believe we'll get reimbursed by NYSERDA for the study."
Hoehmann also noted anything work at the landfill has to be approved by the DEC.
If Clarkstown goes through with a solar panel project, it would not be the first municipality in the area. The Town of Esopus in Ulster County is working on a solar field. The Middletown Times Herald Record reported in January the Esopus project includes a one-megawatt system at its capped landfill that is expected to produce one million kilowatts of electricity each year. The solar panels and a kilowatt system installed at the town hall will provide power for all the town’s services and facilities.
Up to 10 other communities in the state are investigating similar programs.
Other agenda items include votes on:
- the permanent appointment of Vitino F. Errico and Kevin D. Shea, as police officers with the Clarkstown Police Department.
- authorizing bid awards for the town’s annual fireworks display, pump station upgrades at Greenbush/Van Doren/Long Clove and drainage improvements on Pleasant Hill Drive.
- authorizing the town’s purchasing agent to advertise for bids for roadway resurfacing, concrete curb and sidewalk replacement,community center repairs and May Place stream channel realignment
Gromack said the work at the Pascack, Central Nyack and Congers community centers will bring them into compliance with new ADA requirements. A study was done last year to determine what work was necessary. Additionally, two of the centers need roof repairs and one requires window repairs.
Also, the board will vote on approving the installation of a:
- Four-Way “Stop” sign at the intersection of Gillis Avenue and West Broadway in Central Nyack
- “No Parking Here to Corner” sign on Eberling Drive in New City
- School Advance Warning Assembly supplemental plaque on both sides of Dickinson Avenue in Central Nyack
- “Stop” sign and “Stop” line on Lake Road at Christian Herald Road in Valley Cottage
- “No Trucks” signs on Brookside Avenue at Lake Road and Brookside Avenue atRoute 303 in Valley Cottage
Public hearings will be scheduled on a road abandonment sign removals and map amendment. The board will set public hearings for Tuesday, April 17 on:
- the proposed abandonment of part of Rose Road in West Nyack
- the removal of signage at Snake Hill Road and Palisades Center Drive North in West Nyack
A third public hearing will be scheduled for Tuesday, May 15 on amending the official map by removing the unimproved mapped street known as Blauvelt Avenue in Nanuet.
The town board meeting begins at 8 p.m. in the first floor auditorium in Clarkstown Town Hall.
