The project to put a solar energy farm on Brothertown Road has been given approval.
After a three-hour meeting last week conducted by the Sangerfield Zoning Board of Appeals with officials of NextEra, the ZBA voted unanimously to provide the Special Use Permit. The SUP was necessary because the town does not have zoning requirements that specifically address solar farms.
The approval ended a process that stretched back to early 2019. NextEra has already worked out Payment In Lieu Of Taxes agreements with the town and Waterville Central School District.
Seeing the project through was the last official duty for Town Supervisor Lorena Lenard. She and husband Gary are moving out of Waterville to Cherrywood in Clinton.
Town Board member Jeff Reynolds will take over the remainder of Lenard’s term for 2020 starting Aug. 1. A special election in November will determine who finishes the final year on her term.
Former Town Board member Don Brown will be filling Reynolds’ spot on the board.