Bangor commission approves rooftop solar for Unitarian Universalist Society at 120 Park Street

The Bangor City Historic Preservation Commission on Aug. 14 granted a certificate of appropriateness to the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor to install rooftop solar on the Dorothy Memorial Building at 120 Park Street, finding the project consistent with local historic-preservation standards after the applicant addressed visibility concerns.

Mark McCullough, a member of the congregation, told the commission the church proposed an array originally of 46 panels, later reduced to 42, that would provide about "100% of the church's electrical usage" on a south-facing asphalt roof. He said a rooftop installation would "live out our values of protecting the environment, but will also save our congregation about $5,000 a year." The proposal named Revision Energy as the contracted installer.

McCullough presented a visibility analysis showing the full array would be visible from a roughly 0.2-acre area uphill from the Tarratine Club along Park Street and that most public viewpoints would only reveal a few east-most panels. He noted parapets and the adjacent sanctuary building screen much of the roof and that the panels and frames proposed are black to match the existing black roof. He also provided a mock photograph showing inverter locations and said the inverters would project about 8.5 inches from the north wall.

The applicant informed the commission Versant (the local utility) performed a Level 1 interconnection review and indicated the project would require a transformer upgrade on Park Street and a new pole to accommodate the higher capacity. McCullough said that utility work increases the congregation's costs and was a factor in reducing the proposed array size.

Planning staff and the applicant referenced Department of the Interior guidance for solar on historic properties and the Secretary of the Interior standards. McCullough said Revision Energy assured that panel mounts would be reversible and would not damage the roof, and that conduit could be painted black to blend with the roof and wall.

Commission members discussed visibility and alternatives. Several commissioners said they found the applicant's supplemental visibility mapping and the decision to reduce the array reassuring. After motions to find the application satisfied the relevant subsections of the historic-preservation code, the commission issued the certificate of appropriateness. Roll-call votes recorded Nathaniel King ' yes; Anne Marie Quinn ' yes; Liam Reardon ' yes; Chair Edmond Suresky ' yes.

The commission's approvals covered the rooftop installation as described in the application and the supplemental materials; the file notes the applicant modified the proposal to 42 panels during the meeting. The applicant and installer remain responsible for final interconnection permits, utility upgrades, and any required building permits.