Brockport Village Board members continue to make progress regarding solar energy and the solar farm, which is planned to provide power for municipal buildings as well as the Brockport Fire District’s four stations and the Seymour Library.
During their regular meeting Monday, February 1, trustees passed a resolution authorizing Mayor Margaret Blackman to execute and file a Negative Declaration in regards to the environmental impact of the project. The Village Board is acting as lead agency for the environmental review of the installation, which will be located on the village landfill on East Canal Road.
Last year, the village signed an agreement with Solar Liberty to erect a solar farm, which is expected to save the three entities involved $30,500 the first year and grow to an annual savings of $95,500 by the end of a 25-year lease, the mayor said.
The installation will be built and owned by Solar Liberty. After 25 years, the village can purchase it outright, renegotiate the lease or have the developer remove the panels at their expense.
Trustees February 1 also voted to authorize Mayor Blackman to sign a NYSERDA grant application to cover the cost of installation/start up. Because Solar Liberty will develop and own the solar farm, Mayor Blackman said there is no capital investment for the village. The village’s costs are figured into the fixed rate per kilowatt hour paid to the developer.
In other business, former village trustee Carol Hannan was presented with the 2015 Monika Andrews Creative Volunteer Leadership Award. Hannan was unable to attend the meeting, but Award Committee Chair Robert Westbrook made the announcement.
“Over a number of years, she has purchased and rehabilitated with considerable voluntary labor – much of it her own – nine dilapidated houses in Brockport and then resold them at reasonable prices to families who have in turn brightened village neighborhoods with their presence,” Westbrook said. He noted that Hannan also, “has worked tirelessly to preserve the stories of more than eighty homes by documenting their history,” – work that Westbrook explained helped to win historic preservation status for village properties.
In other business, Brockport Village Clerk Leslie Ann Morelli reported that she had received the voter initiated petition to dissolve the village and expected to complete the work of certifying signatures by Thursday, February 4.
Mayor Margaret Blackman told the Suburban News and Herald, “…. the village is in better administrative and financial shape (than in 2010 when the first dissolution vote was held) … we expect dissolution to be defeated … the village government is doing a lot of good things.” She said the village will work to get information out to the public regarding the vote via the village website and newsletter.
Finally, Deputy Mayor Bill Andrews had good news for trustees in his report. Andrews announced that the Greater Brockport Development Corporation has accepted a purchase offer for 60 Clinton Street – a historic building which harkens back to the village’s manufacturing past, which has been vacant for years.
Deputy Mayor Andrews said Jay Nichols, who co-owns the Stoneyard Brewing Company in Brockport, has plans to purchase the building and convert it to a “boutique hotel,” Andrews said. The building is located on the south bank of the Erie Canal west of Main Street.
