The Town Conservation Commission continued a public hearing Sept. 18 on Parallel Products’ proposal to construct nine solar-panel canopies at 182 Mount Tom Road, asking the applicant to supply a revised plan that shows newly agreed protections for the 50-foot riverfront buffer and additional operation-and-maintenance details. The commission set a continuation for Oct. 9 at 5:30 p.m.

The project team — attorney Michael Monod, Parallel Products representative Phil Cavallo and Scott Daggett, senior project manager for Farland Corporation — told the commission they removed all proposed work from the 50-foot buffer zone except for stormwater management controls, added shrub plantings intended to absorb petroleum contaminants, and reduced the number of vehicles stored on-site from about 2,000 to roughly 200. The team said those changes and additional documentation on compensatory flood storage had been submitted to staff.

Commissioners pressed for clearer demarcation of the buffer and for durable measures to prevent operations from encroaching on the protection zone. Commissioner questions focused on whether gaps in proposed remediation trenches would allow bypass flow, who will perform annual inspections and planting maintenance, and where a fence should be placed to prevent gravel and equipment from migrating into the buffer. Scott Daggett explained the remediation trenches were split to follow existing site contours and maintain even pretreatment and overflow; he said the gaps are roughly 3–4 feet and could be adjusted if the commission requires.

The applicant agreed to plant petroleum-absorbing native shrubs between the 50-foot buffer edge and the stormwater controls as a pretreatment zone and to add signage. The team also said they will provide an operation-and-maintenance (O&M) plan and annual monitoring reports; the commission asked that those reports be prepared by a licensed professional engineer or a wetland scientist and suggested annual replacement for any plantings that die.

Commissioners recommended a simple, flexible wire fence running roughly parallel to the solar canopy edges, offset about 5 feet from the canopy edge where feasible, as a low-volume, durable demarcation that would be easy to inspect and would not significantly affect compensatory storage. The applicant said they would discuss the fence with the property owner and provide a sketch to staff showing the fence alignment and gates for maintenance access.

Other revisions the commission asked to see on a revised plan include a clearer snow-storage and plowing O&M note (applicants said snow would be cleared north–south to a single linear aisle), a documented approach for removal of debris and junk in the protected area before construction, and documentation of any compensatory storage adjustments resulting from plan changes.

Commissioners expressed encouragement at the changes while reiterating the need for clear, inspectable limits to protect the riverfront resource. The commission voted unanimously to continue the hearing to Oct. 9 and asked staff to receive and circulate the revised plan and the updated O&M provisions before that meeting.