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Church of the Messiah seeks ground-mounted arrays; board asks fire-department review
Summary
The Church of the Messiah proposed two ground-mounted arrays at 534 Woods Hole Road to power its campus; applicant said arrays would provide full campus coverage and save about $14,000–$16,000 a year. The planning board continued the special-permit and site-plan-review applications to Aug. 11, requesting fire-department input and corrected materials.
Representatives of the Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole presented a second-phase ground-mounted solar proposal to the Falmouth Planning Board, saying the arrays would supply the campus's electrical needs and free funds for outreach ministries.
Peter Feldman Mahan, priest at Church of the Messiah, said the church already installed a rooftop array earlier this year and wants the new arrays to cover remaining campus demand. Tom Carey, the church sexton, described the design as two ground-mounted arrays (each roughly 14 by 36 feet, 24 panels per array) that would sit low on a steep slope and produce an estimated $14,000–$16,000 in annual savings with a payback under five years. Carey said the panels would sit about 3 feet above grade and use helical piles to minimize grading. He also said the church has prepared a planting and maintenance plan to remove invasive vegetation and keep ground cover under 20 inches.
Board members raised several technical and safety questions. Staff noted a Fire Department review had flagged concerns about vegetation under the arrays and the 10-foot access requirement for ground-mounted systems; the applicant said they had submitted a planting plan to address that issue and would follow fire-department recommendations. The board voted to continue both the special-permit and site-plan-review applications for 534 Woods Hole Road to Aug. 11 and asked the applicant to provide the Fire Department's input and any revised plans prior to that meeting. "We are very pleased with the results of the first phase, and we expect the second phase will provide enough electricity to cover all the needs for the church going forward," Peter Feldman Mahan said at the podium.
Why it matters: The project advances a local institution's energy transition and promises operational savings, but safety and site details (fire access, vegetation management, and historic-district visibility) remain outstanding and will be reviewed before the board takes a final vote.
