Town Board hears request for updated solar system permit

David Pogue of Bedford Hills shared his electric bill, which showed only negative dollar amounts due after his installation of a 21 kW solar panel system. DAVID POGUE PHOTO

By JEFF MORRIS

At Tuesday’s Town Board meeting, there was a request to update the permitting process for solar installations, along with the retirement of a longtime employee and several board and committee appointments. 

Mark Thielking, the town’s director of energy and sustainability, presented the case for updating the Unified Solar Permit, a checklist-based application that New York state created to systemize and streamline the process for approving small solar panel systems.

Thielking said they currently have a USP from 2017, based on the model permit the state created at that time. It makes installing solar more streamlined by only requiring approval from the building department, not from the Planning Board. However, it specifies that solar systems must be 12 kW or smaller; systems greater than 12 kW and ground mounted systems greater than 100 square feet must be approved by the Planning Board.

According to Thielking, New York state has moved to increase the size and capacity of these systems, because solar panels continue to get more efficient. Current “state of the art” solar panels allow for more power from the same size footprint as compared to systems from 10 years ago. New York municipalities are now adopting a unified solar template that allows for solar installations up to 25 kW, which is what the proposed revision would allow.

Thielking said six years ago solar panels produced about 300 watts of energy, but today the same size panel can produce up to 440 watts. Ten years ago, he said, 40 panels would be required to achieve 12 kW, and now you only need 27 panels; a 25 kW array today is 20% smaller than it would have been 10 years ago. Thielking noted that research done by building inspector Al Ciraco showed over the last 10 years, the average size of all systems in Bedford was 15 kW, and a lot of those systems that were approved had to go through the more onerous permitting process. 

“This  is why this new law has been suggested, and many communities in the state have passed it,” he said.

Thielking pointed out that harnessing solar power protects residents from rising electricity costs and relieves pressure on the electrical grid. Over the last 10 years, he said, NYSEG electricity prices have risen 46.7%. The average home, he said, could save up to $22,380 in as little as five years depending on the size and usage of the solar system — while avoiding harmful fossil fuel pollution with clean energy. 

Updating the permit, Thielking said, would allow for less of a burden on the Planning Board, support the town’s new comprehensive plan and climate action and clean air goals, and support residents with the transition to renewable energy by simplifying the process for rooftop solar installations. He said 97% of installations in Bedford in the last 10 years have been rooftop solar, and residents can now install much larger, more efficient systems on their roofs.

Supervisor Ellen Calves noted the update would streamline things for both the building department and the applicant, while emphasizing that ground mount installations still need to meet the same code review standards as accessory structures. Town Attorney Eric Gordon confirmed that ground mount panels must meet the same setback requirements as a house and be within a certain physical size.

Thielking said essentially, the only thing that was altered on the form was to change one number, from 12 to 25; otherwise it’s the same checklist. And, he noted, solar tax credits will expire at the end of the year, so they need to move this process along quickly.

Resident David Pogue appeared as a self-described “poster child” for the proposal, showing photos of his 21 kW system that fell between the 12 kW limit and the proposed 25 kW, which meant he had to go through the more stringent permitting process.

“In this environment of anti-climate coming through from Washington, any way that we can reduce the friction, I’m all for,” he said.

Pogue showed his electric bill for the last eight months, with solar generation resulting in credits for power flowing back into the grid. “It’s negative,” he said gleefully. “It’s the most fun you’ll ever have.”

Gordon recommended reviewing the permit changes with Ciraco, adding text regarding the need for approvals for ground mounted systems, and holding off on a vote on the revision until the next meeting.

Kellogg to retire

Nina Kellogg notified the town that she will retire from her position as deputy town clerk effective Nov. 30, with her last day in the office Oct. 31. She has served the town for 28 years.

Town Clerk Allie Whalen called her “a dedicated public servant and pillar of our operations.” She said Kellogg continued a family legacy: her mother served as deputy town clerk from 1969 to 1985, and she began her own career with the town as clerk and recording secretary for the zoning board and wetlands commission in 1997, becoming deputy town clerk a year later, “a role she has held with absolute exceptional commitment for more than two decades.” She noted Kellogg has also contributed nearly 18 years of service as secretary/treasurer of the Katonah Fire Department. “She’s not only a valued asset to the town, but the very foundation of the clerk’s office,” Whalen said. “Her contributions, her institutional knowledge, her friendship and her presence are irreplaceable.”

Town Board member Andrés Castillo added, “My dad always tells me Nina is one of his favorite employees. He came to this country 20 years ago and she always treated him with so much respect, and even though there was a little bit of a language barrier she always helped him out.” He said, “She really treated every single person with respect, and that will certainly never be forgotten.”

The board reluctantly voted to accept the resignation. Calves said they would “continue to celebrate Nina; she did not want a fancy proclamation, but we will do something.”

Other board and committee appointments

The board appointed Filippine de Haan Hoogland as a full member of the Conservation Board, effective Sept. 8. It also accepted the resignation of Koren Jones Beaulieu effective that same day, and thanked her for her past service.

Andrew Messinger was appointed as interim chair of the Wetlands Control Commission, effective Sept. 24, and the board recognized the resignation of Gentian Falstrom from the WCC due to a conflict of interest with a new position she accepted with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

The board appointed Zachary Nathanson to a three-year term as an associate member of the Bedford Town Housing Committee, which advises the board on affordable housing opportunities. Its members concurrently serve on the Blue Mountain Housing Development Corporation steering committee. Nathanson is a real estate attorney focused on affordable housing, tax certiorari, tax incentives, rent regulation, and other housing programs.

Finally, the board reappointed Rita Carrozza to the Board of Assessment Review, effective Sept. 30, for a term of five years.