AMHERST – The Amherst Town Council met on Nov. 8 and discussed a wide variety of town projects, but the most divisive  was about the large ground-mounted solar system proposed for wooded land near the Pelham and Shutesbury town lines.

District 2 Councilors Pat De Angelis and Lynn Griesemer proposed have a moratorium on the project to give the town more time in researching all the possible environmental implications from the project. The Town Council was divided on the issue and voted 7-6 to have the moratorium reviewed by the council’s Community Resources Committee.  

The concern comes from the proposed installation of an 11-megawatt project south of homes on Shutesbury Road. The solar farm would be located close to residential neighborhoods depending on private drinking wells and septic systems. The proposal is currently being reviewed by the Conservation Commission.

The goal of the moratorium according to the councilors in favor was to give more time for officials to research further what areas are most suitable for solar and address mitigation for forest and habitat loss.  

“The people of Amherst care about sustainability and climate,” said De Angelis. “We need to create a bylaw to facilitate and locate proper ground solar installations. Without strong and explicit guidelines there have been and will continue to be environmental failures.”

Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke expressed that she could not support this referral due to precedent and the timing before setting up certain committees that may be working with different councilors based on the election results.

“The model bylaw from the state has been out from 2014, if we thought we needed it then we should’ve done it then. People aren’t happy with this proposal and that’s not a reason to need a moratorium,” Hanneke said. “This is not the right time both due to the reasons proposed and also because of the change in council.”

Conservation Director David Ziomek attended the meeting on behalf of the Conservation Commission and clarified that the project itself was still only before the Conservation Commission and it is still very early in the process of this project.  

Councilor Evan Ross expressed his confidence in the Conservation Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals in figuring the project out in a way that avoids a moratorium and is environmentally efficient.

This discussion came late in the meeting, but early on public comments were very much focused on the moratorium.

“We can reduce our carbon footprint in many ways. We do not have bylaws on large scale placements of solar panels,” said resident Renee Moss. “We wouldn’t destroy a solar facility for a forest, why do the opposite?”

Resident Lenore Bryck seconded that idea and called it a lack of foresight in the state's energy policy.

“Think about how ludicrous it is to destroy actual green energy for green energy,” Bryck said.

African Heritage Reparation Assembly (AHRA) Progress Report

Jamileh Jemison, co-chair of the AHRA, described to the Town Council their mission is to study and develop reparation proposals for Amherst residents of African Heritage. In doing so, the AHRA hopes they will assist in furthering the goals of the resolution “Affirming the Town of Amherst’s Commitment to End Structural Racism and Achieve Racial Equity for Black Residents” adopted by the Town Council in December of last year.  

These were the first discussions between the AHRA and the Town Council for funding of the proposed reparations. The charge they have breaks down three major points of focus for the next steps including financials, a community engagement process, and incorporation of oversight.

“After carefully reviewing funding streams we have narrowed in on marijuana tax revenue, CPA (Community Preservation Act), grants, and private funding,” said co-chair Michelle Miller on the goal of funding side of the reparations proposed.

The AHRA believes reparations are due for a multitude of reasons but mainly to try and change the systemic racism that perpetuates a state of physiological stress, ultimately causing physical and mental illness for people of color in Amherst.  

Giving money through reparations to those of African heritage, while still a ways away, will provide some financial stability and hopefully provide economic growth for a community that has been left behind in many towns all over the country.

Some of the data provided by the AHRA show some of the significant disadvantages facing the community medically and how COVID-19 has not helped that situation. One piece of information listed was that according to Cooley Dickinson, local Black communities bear a disproportionate burden of disease, suffering higher rates of chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular conditions, asthma and diabetes. They also included that food insecurity affects 38 percent of all Hampshire County households, where last year 24 percent of those using the food pantry at the Amherst Survival Center were Black.

An excerpt near the end of the initial report states, “To support this mission we request that the Town apply funds, which have already been allocated for Public Health and Racial Equity, toward reparations for residents of African Heritage. If depositing into the stabilization fund is restricted by the Treasury, we ask you to set aside funds for a particular eligible use, to be determined.”

The AHRA is early on in their process assisting the lives of Black people in Amherst, but the ground work has been placed for them to work with the town going forward.