New Ashford Select Board grants propane storage license for 11 Beach Hill Road

The New Ashford Select Board voted Nov. 3 to grant Beach Hill Farm, LLC a propane storage license allowing up to 4,000 gallons to be stored at 11 Beach Hill Road, the board said at a public hearing at town hall.

The hearing, which opened at 6:00 p.m., followed public notice in the Berkshire Eagle and certified-mail notification to abutters. Kyle George of H.A. George presented a site drawing and described factors that determined tank placement, saying access and drainage shaped the proposal.

George said the plan calls for three 1,000-gallon tanks to service the house and a fourth 1,000-gallon tank that would serve a future barn; the location for the fourth tank has not yet been specified and the site drawing will be updated when that placement is finalized. He told the board that storing a total of 4,000 gallons would reduce the need for wintertime propane deliveries.

Officials clarified that the town issues the license while the New Ashford Fire Chief must issue the operating permit. The board was told the license will require annual renewal, and H.A. George will send reminder mailings to the homeowner every three years to arrange tank inspections.

Select Board member Ken McInerney moved to grant the license “to Beach Hill Farm, LLC for storage of 4,000 gallons of propane at 11 Beach Hill Road,” and Chair Jason Jayko seconded. The motion passed. The public hearing was closed at 6:14 p.m. Mark Phelps was absent from the meeting.

The next procedural step is issuance of the Fire Chief’s permit and updating the site drawing to show the future barn tank location. Any changes to the plan or permit conditions would be processed through the town’s licensing and permitting procedures.