HORTONVILLE - Will the Town of Delaware enact a solar moratorium?

Town residents will find out next month as the Town Board holds a public hearing on Local Law No. 2, “A… Commercial Solar Energy System Land Use Moratorium.”

Residents will have their say beginning at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9 at the Town Hall and the board is expected to vote on the Local Law at its regular meeting later in the night.

Delaware Supervisor Ed Sykes prefaced last Wednesday's vote to move ahead with the public hearing with his views on solar development.

“I've looked at this thing upside down and sideways. I went to four meetings to understand this better and I'm not in favor of this [moratorium],” he said. “Whatever anybody thinks, solar is coming.

“Last month I went to a meeting in Dutchess County with 300 people,” he said. “I can tell you the rest of the world is trying to save the planet. From my perspective not to be involved [is wrong].

“It is not going to hurt agriculture… it might save agriculture. It is not going to hurt tourism. The Villa Roma [Resort and Conference Center] wants to put one in,” Sykes said.

Councilman John Gain agreed.

Gain told Sykes, “I don't see it not coming. We approved two solar projects - one is essentially done and one is not started yet.”

The two projects are the Baer Rd. project, which is finished and operating, and the Hospital Rd. project, which has yet to break ground.

The Baer Rd. project was recently lauded by New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the largest community solar project in the state.

But Delaware Planning Board member Warren Blumenthal disagreed with Sykes and Gain.

“The way the code is now, it is flawed. We have to function within the law and the law needs tweaking - it needs to be revised,” Blumenthal said.

Officials said the current solar code was a collaborative effort between the town board and planning board following four workshops.

“What we came up with was a reasonable law,” Sykes said. “[But] some things we didn't consider.”

Sykes said the two boards tried to “keep it simple.” The Delaware solar code is four pages long while one code they reviewed contained nearly 400 pages.

Councilman Al Steppich, who voted in favor of holding the public hearing next month, said, “I don't want to tell somebody they can't do something. If we can come up with some tweaks, I'm all for it [a moratorium].”

Delaware River Solar CEO Richard Winter, who was in attendance, entered a statement into the official record.

“…The town has already had one moratorium during which time workshops were held and a law was crafted and passed,” Winter said. “Delaware River Solar (DRS) has submitted and received permits for 2 solar projects in the town following the process of the planning board and the law.”

Winter said DRS was asked to hold on additional projects “Even though we made the investment to prepare additional submissions and made payments of hundreds of thousands to secure capacity with the utility.”

“Given our compliance, why wield this blunt tool again with all its ramifications,” Winter said. “…The board should consider a narrower moratorium that only applies to projects that haven't signed interconnection with NYSEG - which would bar new projects, including a DRS project, from moving forward.

“I ask the board to reject a broad, lengthy moratorium and engage in a conversation about a more strategic approach that addresses the concerns of all constituencies,” Winter said.