The Valley Central Board of Education, by unanimous vote last week, approved a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with the recently approved solar energy project on Plains Road in Walden.
Plains Road LLC has received approval to build an agrivoltaics project at 55 Plains Road in the Town of Montgomery.The proposed project will feature a a 2.5MW solar array on 15 acres. The panels, which stand a minimum of 10 feet in height, will rotate towards the direction of the sun and will have 28.6 ft between panel edges when panels are at solar noon (flat). There are 30 feet between the end of the row of panels and the fence to allow a tractor to traverse the perimeter. The installation at the DiMartino Farm, would allow hay to grow underneath the solar panels that would generate electricity.
The term of the PILOT agreement is 15 years, according to the resolution approved by the school board.
The school board also scheduled a public hearing for Monday, January 8 to discuss a partial tax exemption for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers. A state law allows municipalities and school districts the option to grant property tax exemptions of up to 10 percent for volunteer first responders.
The hearing will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the administration building.