Select Board awards landfill solar contract to HESP, endorses four town meeting articles

LINCOLN — March 20, 2023 — Lincoln Select Board awards 20-year landfill solar contract to HESP and endorses four town meeting articles. The board voted 3-0 Monday to award the lease, net-metering PPA and personal-property PILOT to New Jersey-based HESP, choosing it over Massachusetts-based Ameresco on the strength of a better PPA rate and a local subcontractor team. Member Jim Hutchinson said the three revenue streams should total $170,000 to $200,000 a year, or roughly $3.5 million to $4 million over 20 years on a one-megawatt array. Consultant Beth Greenblatt said HESP partnered with experienced geotechnical, electrical and regulatory firms to address concerns about its lack of Massachusetts landfill experience. The board also endorsed the accessory-apartment bylaw, two Green Energy Committee bylaws, and the Housing Commission restructuring (Article 31), but declined to take a position on the 58 Bedford Road Historic District addition, with Hutchinson noting "why citizens care what the Select Board thinks about that, I don't know." It was member Jonathan Dwyer's last meeting after six years.