[Music] Good evening everyone. Today is May 1st, 2025. The time is 6 pm and this is the
Aushna Planning Board. This meeting is being recorded for future viewing on the town's uh YouTube page. Uh we're on live tonight via Teams and uh you can also watch this on the
local cable channel. Can I get a motion to open the plane board meeting? A motion to open the public meeting. I'll second it. All in favor? I I public meeting. Yeah, it's open. Oh, can we all introduce ourselves,
please? Uh, Victoria Albaro, town planner. Peter Gamp, a member. Steve Bush, member. Mark France, chairman, Brian Dishamps, member. All right. Uh, the minutes from April
17th. [Music] Um, everybody was here. Pete, you were not here. Uh, everybody else is here. I hope you've all had a time to read this over, take a look at it. Let
me know if you have any questions, comments, concerns. I've read it over and um I personally didn't find any issues. Um, I'll make a motion to approve the minutes as read
for April 17, 2025. I second that. All in favor? I I thank you. All right, moving right along. Uh we had a public hearing tonight. This uh hearing scheduled for this evening will
be continued. Continued site plan review and special permit of 211 Middle Road, map 23, lot 29, 29A, and 29B. This hearing will be um rescheduled for June 5th. June 5th.
June 5th. I will entertain a motion. I make a motion to continue the public hearing to June 5th, 2025 at 6 PM at the board selectment meeting room and
over teams. I second that. All in favor? I. Fabulous. Moving right along. Uh public hearing. Do I have to make a vote to open this public hearing? Just call it back to order. I'm calling this public hearing back to order.
uh proposed amendment to article 8 large scale ground mounted so solar photovalttaic installation. The planning board will hold a public hearing to consider the proposed amendments to the town of a Christian's general bylaw article 8 zoning which were submitted
for the 2025 annual town meeting warrant. The proposed amendment is summarized as follows. to amend section 8 large scale ground mounted solar photovoltaic voltaic installation. Uh so if you all recall we had uh this this
meeting was um continued because we sent the uh proposed changes to all the other uh departments and boards uh for their feedback. Um, I don't think we got anything
particular as far as feedback from anybody, did we? We um I did speak with the chair of the conservation commission yesterday morning and he had some um comments about, you know, scheduling inspections during
construction, but that might be more of like an internal kind of procedure as opposed to adding that in the Right. Yeah, that's right. We did discuss that. I think it is a good idea that we get uh whoever is the peer review to go out on
scheduled visits during you know whether it's the auguring of the of the anchors or it's the uh the building of the uh basins for for uh storm water. Uh if we
would have did that over at 550, maybe we wouldn't have the issues that we have today. Uh so yeah, I think but that's not something that we're going to put in um the bylaw. That's just something that we recommend during the process and we
just have it done and they agree to have it done and at their cost. At their cost. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. There we go. So when this gets peer reviewed, uh we go back to the peer reviewer and say
schedule for the process of the plans that he's peer reviewing, schedule, you know, x amount of of um inspections. Yeah. And what will be the cost of those inspections? And then we forward along
to the proponent. Um, it was also con uh the chairman from conservation, correct me if I'm wrong, mentioned something about like the the plantings and whatnot underneath for like a drip edge or something of some nature. Um, I think it's a good idea.
Uh, again, that's something that we can uh recommend. Uh, I'm not 100% if we're going to have to put that in the bylaw. So basically he's talking when the rain hits the solar panels, the water flows down the solar panels and then it leaves like a drip line at the on the ground.
Okay. Uh I'm assuming once there's grass planted there and there's uh Yeah. that will refrain from any kind of dirt erosion. Yeah. So to go out of the way and tell a proponent that he's got to
plant a bunch of brush or or bushes underneath the uh solar panels I think is a bit much. I think that because they all plant grass and they have to see grass. So I think that'll be sufficient in my opinion. I think would be a good idea if that's the case that somebody wants to know. We should go out and
observe some of the other ones to see what's happening. It wouldn't be a bad idea cuz even just a drip strip just it doesn't necessarily have to be planted because that point you just put in a a stone drip drip strip basically at the base of it and and you know you're putting in 3/4 in stone or inch and a
half stone eventually that's all going to fill in with with grass grass anyways. Yeah. But that would stop that would slow any kind of erosion down. So it's really not it's not a bad idea. I mean, I mean, what we can do, I mean, we are coming down towards the wire as far
as what kind of changes we can do. Uh, just cuz I think they're actually going to stop printing the um warrants warrants next week. So, we're kind of running a little clo short on time. Um,
but I think with every town meeting and and all of our bylaws, you know, they're always something that we can tweak and it's something that's easily added and to be raised for the fall town meeting. This is something that we observe that is something that I we feel is needed.
It's a easy qu quick add-on to the fall town meeting this year, next year, whenever we want to add to any of these uh bylaws. So, um again, for right now, that's something we can observe. We can uh request to go out and check out some
of the other um yeah, just to see the finished the the completed uh solar fields. we can take a walk through and just uh get ideas from what's been completed, what's been sitting for the last couple years in use and uh get ideas for us for future projects uh for
what we see. Um so uh I think that's not something that's not a bad idea to consider for u for the future um town meetings. So the other thing I mean I I sent out an email I think I sent it to you and I sent it to Victoria. She sent it back. I think she sent it out to everybody. Um, after reading some of
that stuff, I think it would behoover us to put in a set of definitions in the in the in the front end of it because it reads it reads much better. It defines a whole lot when you start reading that what you're about to what you're diving into. Yeah. What you're diving into by putting those definitions in place,
that's if it's not going to work this time. If you can do that, Paul, that's fine. Um, but yeah, because she did she we did talk about that today and I think that is a good idea. Yeah. And I think I, you know, I think we should start, you know, this is what we're going to add for the fall meeting. And uh little
things like that are easily added and tweaked when it comes. I just think we're running low on time to reschedule new meetings and to make changes and whatnot uh for this particular u warrant. Gotcha. The way things are
evolving so fast now, I think we're going to be tweaking a lot of things for for a while. Oh, I totally agree with you. It's just things are just, you know, the state rules are just changing. Yeah. Changing. Yeah. ADUs. Uh I got to read that article. I haven't read it yet. The one she just sent out. Yeah. I
didn't Oh, they updated the fact the frequently asked questions. So, there's a lot of questions that we've had as a group, other people have had. So, it'd be good to look through. I took a look through it. They did ask some good questions. I haven't looked through that yet, but yeah, I sent it late today. That's I mean, you're absolutely right. things are changing really fast with
like ADUs and and the solar and a lot of that. So, it's definitely things that we're constantly adding to a list of amendments, so to speak, that we always can do. And our this spring meeting, which is in June, is really late.
Um, the fall meeting is literally going to be four months down the four months later. You know what I mean? this this is being so being uh held so late that the fall one is is not that far behind. So, um and with that being said,
Victoria and I were talking today, one of the few one of the first things that she's going to start working on is uh uh zoning, changing the zoning, uh and trying to get that accomplished for the fall meeting. And I'd like to change the
zoning for, you know, it's something that we need to discuss as a as a board of what we would like to see and and change the zoning in in this town to add more businesses and make it easier for, you know, and when I say businesses, I
don't mean I don't I don't want to see Walmart place, you know, planted on Main Street, but you know, it might help though. But you know this I we're still underneath the solar thing. But I I have some more to add to that point after we we got to we got to close this public
meeting out first once we close this. Yeah. If there's anything else that we want to talk about as far as this one that's going to go to town meeting in June. Is there anything else that anybody would like to add or change or any of that? No, I think everything we're good in it for me it's everything
is there except for like to see definitions but again it's running late. So yeah, and it gives us a chance to review it a little bit of time, too. Yeah. And it gives us more time to review the the definitions. And like I said, we might want to schedule a day that, you know, some of us go see some of these completed solar fields that
have been in in in uh working for the last couple of years to see what it looks like in there, what even like looking at their screening, looking at their fencing, looking at see how everything's working. see how everything works just so it gives us a better idea when we're um deciding on new ones that
come in front of us. And I think and and and to that point, uh the periodic inspections really should be part of the building permit process. Can't be much different than when you're building a house, right? You got to have you got to have a you got to have a foundation inspection. You got to have a rough
inspection. Then you got to have a final inspection. So, yeah, putting those things in there, I'm sure would not be that difficult. Yeah. And I don't know if we have to put it in there or if it's just something we require, but if it's something that council says, yeah, if we're going to mandate that, then it has to be in the bylaw, then that's
something we're going to add. Yeah, I I definitely think and again, Victoria and I were talking about it, if we would have had peerreview engineers going out to 550 as they were building those uh the storm water retention ponds, they would have realized that
they weren't built correctly and we could have maybe saved a lot of issues that we had. So, I definitely think that's a really good idea. And if it's something that needs to be put in writing to mandate it, then that's what we'll do with the next one.
Can I get a motion to close the public hearing? Make a motion to close the public hearing. Got a motion. Second. All in favor? I. Fabulous. Um, nothing new came in uh in the last 48 hours. Our next meeting was supposed
to be May 15th. Um, we unfortunately will not have a quorum for the May 15th meeting. So, the May 15th meeting will be cancelled and we will be our next scheduled meeting will be June 5th. Excuse me, can I um interject? Um for
the solar bylaw amendment, can we just have a motion as to whether or not the board recommends this for approval at town meeting? Can I get a motion? I make a motion that we approve the amended uh town bylaw for
the so large solar arrays at town meeting. Oh, sorry that sorry. I'll second that. All in favor? I I unanimous. Anything else anybody like to discuss? I I do. Back to Well, not we're close.
We're closed for the public hearing. So, we were talking about uh zoning um would just come to me um and I'm a member over here at the credit union right over here. I think they did a fabulous job. However,
um nothing really wrong with the colors, but um most town a lot of towns have um bylaws that basically give us the option to review um what's going on. Uh because right down the street we got a building that was all the brick was
painted black with black trim. Probably looks Yeah. I I just hate to see this just I I I don't know. I don't know what to call it, but it this this just free-for-all, whatever color you want to paint your building, especially going
down like downtown in a village district. Absolutely. This is actually something I brought up to Mark not that long ago. So what we can do and what a lot of communities do when they want their, you know, downtown village areas to look a certain way, they implement what's called design guidelines associated with that district to kind of
show developers, hey, this is what we're looking for. This is, you know what I mean? So that's exactly there's a thing for that. Totally agree with you. You have a lot of towns in central Mass. Yep. It can only be one color. Yep. In the story, that's it. And I think and I
just you know if we I mean I know we're in the stage we're trying to beautify things a little bit better but I mean and that's part of it you know I mean we we're trying to give the the town a facelift we're doing we're improving our infrastructure we've got the potential you know for now that you know they're
upsizing sewer lines going down Sloum Street you know a lot of things could could happen you know. Yeah. Now, is that something that would be uh the playing board's responsibility or is that uh that's what it I that's where I've always seen it. Yeah. Yep. That
would be something we unless unless they set up a different district, but Well, what's that other uh district committee? Uh uh what's that that board that does like the old Kushnik the Perry Hill Church and what's the name of that committee? Are you talking about the
beautifification? No, not beautifification. No, I think it's historical. Historical historical. Yeah. I don't think it's really historical, but I mean you could I think you could set up a villic district type thing, you know. Yeah, you could always I mean collaboration's always encouraged, right? And always helps get get the best, you know, product. But um that's
typically something that goes through the plan. Yeah. No, I have no issues with that. I was just curious if Yeah. Yeah. whichever takes it. A lot of times it's it's there. But I agree with you. I think we definitely should set something up where one there where there's some
standards and two where we should be presented with what the changes are going to be in this in especially in the village district and you know and I I appreciate you know even you know the building on the corner over there I don't like the color pattern but um in one sense it's I say it's not an eyesore
but it's just a it's it's there and it probably looks better than what was what the building looked like before. However, um it was ditch it's we didn't have any input of what Yeah. into what's going to go on in our business district. No residential stuff. That's I don't
think that's that's Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. I'm just referring to business district. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, I I definitely think that's a good idea. Building stuff, you know, to fit fit the neighborhood wherever the bit, you know, if we expand our zoning do, we need to have some input on Yeah.
style. And I think the the gas station right here is a prime example of I think it looks good, you know, right in the center of town and they looks they've taken good care of the place. It looks fantastic. But you see a lot of these, you go up north to New Hampshire, any of these
small uh western Mass, you see all these small towns in with little downtown districts and they're all really cute and they all really like really nice and yeah, I I definitely think we should after I started this going like this. going. Yeah, I like their colors, but it's just it's a little it's a little
different. I totally agree. I totally agree. We should definitely look into that. Uh all right. Uh next meeting, I think I already mentioned June 5th. Can I get a motion? Motion to close. Second. All in
favor? I I Thank you. Good night. [Music] [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music]