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Selectmen say developer, planning board and engineer to investigate drainage concerns at solar facility
Summary
Town officials said Jan. 14 that planning‑board engineer Tetra Tech will review drainage concerns raised by a neighbor of a Blackstone solar facility; the developer has replenished the hold on payment so the as‑built review can continue.
Selectmen on Jan. 14 discussed a resident complaint about drainage on the opposite side of an existing solar facility and said the planning board’s engineer will review the matter and report back.
The town administrator told the board that the planning board’s engineer, Tetra Tech, has not yet signed off on the project’s as‑built plans. The developer has replenished an account and submitted about $20,000 toward outstanding engineering review costs so Tetra Tech can complete the remaining work. Town officials said Tetra Tech will investigate the complaint and the planning board will direct the next steps.
Officials said they met with the developer and planning staff and that the developer sent personnel to begin on‑site investigation, including knocking on the resident’s door to start fact‑finding. The administrator said that if additional drainage or construction defects are found, the town will follow the same enforcement path used previously — including issuing a new cease‑and‑desist and holding the developer responsible for remediation until the problem is fixed.
Board members noted the planning engineer has not yet signed off on the as‑built and that the town expects planning‑level engineering review — described in the meeting as hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) modeling — to be completed as part of the review. The administrator said the town will also ask the resident whose land might be used for a proposed remedial design to provide written sign‑off on any plans that affect their property.
No formal vote was taken; the board directed staff and the planning board to continue investigation and enforcement steps as necessary.
