Board reviews community solar RFP options; directs staff to tweak draft and return

The DeWitt Town Board discussed a draft request for proposals to develop a community solar farm on town properties and directed staff to refine the draft and return to the board rather than authorize it tonight.

Staff explained the RFP will solicit technical proposals and community-benefit terms, including a resident discount on subscriptions. The draft left multiple potential sites flexible — landfill, Fisher Road, East Syracuse, Carrier Park and James Hill Community Center — and indicated proposers could offer different configurations, including rooftop, ground mount or trellis structures over walkways.

Board members asked staff to consider New York State incentives and newly passed state legislation that supports certified minority-, women- and veteran-owned installers; staff agreed to incorporate such alignment options into the RFP. The board also discussed power-purchase agreements as a vehicle used previously to capture tax benefits through private financing, and how an anchor tenant (which NYSERDA sometimes requires) could reduce resident benefit if a business takes a large share of output.

No authorization to release the RFP was made; the board’s consensus was to tweak the draft to reflect state incentives, clarify locations and include language on visibility and reflection studies if specific sites (e.g., Carrier Park walkways/ballfields) are proposed. Staff will return an updated draft for board authorization.