NextAir/NextEra transmission-line outreach scheduled; residents organizing landowner meeting

Next Air Energy (described in the meeting as the transmission-line proponent) will hold a public question-and-answer session Monday, May 5, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Slingsville Volunteer Fire Station to discuss a proposed transmission line in northeastern Hampshire County, Hampshire County commissioners said at their April 22 meeting.

President Eglanger told the commission the company had contacted commissioners to give them a “heads up” about the Slingsville open house and that project representatives are contacting landowners in the potential route area. “They are contacting landowners now about that,” Eglanger said.

During public comment, a resident announced that a group of landowners planned a separate meeting on either May 14 or May 15 (the speaker gave both dates in different parts of the exchange) at the old middle school classroom building to provide landowners with legal and appraisal advice about possible impacts and compensation if the line crosses private property. The resident said the meeting is intended to help people understand the process, landowner rights, and the multiple forms of compensation they might be entitled to; an attorney and possibly an appraiser were expected to attend.

The resident urged commissioners to attend the landowner meeting if possible, saying the company’s May 5 event is more of an informational “science fair” format that does not facilitate group engagement with the public. The resident also said they were a potentially affected landowner and encouraged neighbors to attend.

Commissioners did not take formal action on the transmission-line topic during the April 22 meeting. They noted the company’s outreach and the resident-organized meeting as opportunities for landowners to seek more detailed information about rights and compensation procedures.