Select Board approves 20-year PILOT for proposed landfill solar array, authorizes manager to sign

The Bow Select Board voted to enter a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement with the developer named in the public notice for a proposed renewable solar electric generating facility sited on the landfill near Bow High School. The public hearing and subsequent motion authorized the town manager to execute the agreement as written and included a board finding that a term in excess of five years was necessary to allow the developer to obtain financing.

Board members and staff described the agreement as consistent with the plan voters approved at town meeting and said the draft had been reviewed by town counsel. At the hearing, a committee member said the vote tonight was largely procedural: "This is merely a formality to just check every legal box," and asked staff to confirm parcel and lease details before execution. Town staff confirmed the site was the landfill on Falcon Way adjacent to Bow High School and that the negotiating attorney had sought market-rate terms.

Board discussion focused on the term length and financing: members were told a 20-year term with options to extend by two five-year periods was being requested and that the extended term was a common requirement for projects that rely on third-party financing. The motion approved by voice vote included authorization for the town manager to sign and the recording of the board's statutory finding regarding the financing-term necessity.

The board did not provide a tally of individual roll-call votes on the record; the motion passed by voice vote and the chair announced "ayes have it." The board said any final execution of documents would be coordinated with town counsel and the town manager, and staff will report back on any remaining administrative steps or required conditions for the agreement to take effect.