The Town of Pompey Environmental Conservation Commission met for their regularly scheduled meeting on November 2, 2023 at 7pm at the Pompey Town Hall. There is no video recording of this meeting available.
The Commission reported that they will now be included in the application review process for any relevant projects presented to the Town going forward. Commission Chair Phil George put together a simple form for the Commission to use to assess projects brought before them.
American Tower Project
The Commission discussed the current American Tower request for approval of a diesel generator on their property on Sevier Road. Commission member Stan Gorman noted that American Tower is not currently in compliance with current Town code reporting requirements. He also stated that the Planning Board is in agreement that the company must be in compliance before any additional requests are addressed. Additionally, Commission members expressed concerns over road improvements and fire and rescue access as well as noise and fumes that could potentially disrupt neighboring properties.
El-Hindi Subdivision
The Commission agreed that the request for a subdivision of 40 acres into two parcels on Ridge Road is a simple subdivision on paper only and thus there would be no environmental impact created by the request. The Commission did stipulate that if any actual physical development of the newly created parcels is proposed in the future that they will need to assess the potential environmental impacts at that time.
Pivot Energy Solar Array
Prior to the meeting, Phil George raised questions on solar panel maintenance. It was recommended that the ECC look into available training that would help Commissioner members to better understand what inspections are required and what they would entail.
Stan Gorman brought up concerns regarding decommissioning of the array. He stated that he believes it is unwise to rely on the contractor to tell us how much of a bond would be needed to protect the Town from potential abandonment of the array and suggested that the Town obtain their own counsel to advise them on this matter.
2013 Master Town Plan
The Commision agreed to perform a review of the Town of Pompey 2013 Master Plan and submit their observations to the incoming administration in January 2024.
Miscellaneous Discussion Items
The Commission also held brief discussions on researching potential alternate Tier 3 locations in the Town of Pompey, development of a natural resources inventory, updating maps that identify natural and other Town resources, and ongoing concerns with cell tower assessments and upgrades. In addition, members discussed dates and ideas for Earth Day 2024 and the winner of the recent pumpkin carving contest, which will be posted on social media on Friday, November 10.
The next meeting of the ECC is still to be determined.
