Council urged to move forward with battery plans

 Town council members are weighing a balancing test which, if passed, will allow county officials to ignore local zoning as they build a battery storage facility near the incipient emergency services center alongside the Thruway, on the old Plesser property along Paradies Lane.

Several meeting attendees urged the test to be deemed passed. Arguments included updates to the state fire code to address battery concerns, the need for storage to support expanding renewable sources of energy, and the amount of time it will take to get this project completed after the balancing test is considered.

Council member Sean O'Sullivan was dissatisfied with the plans provided for review, and others respected O'Sullivan's experience reviewing such paperwork. At the Nov. 5 meeting appeared Paul Williams, on behalf of Key Capture Energy, the corporation contracted to build the facility.

There will be a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes scheme sought out, but Williams said that there has been a request to county industrial development agency board members to get buy-in from town and county officials.

"Well, that's refreshing," remarked Supervisor Rogers, a longstanding critic of these schemes for that particular reason.

IDA plans most significantly impact property tax, but that's not a factor for county-owned land. Sales and other tax breaks can also be offered.

There is no zoning for battery plants in the town, which would make local review challenging at best. Council member Brown was eager to move forward at this meeting, but town attorney Will Frank thought it premature to make a decision without first agreeing that this would be classified as a type 2 action under the state's environmental quality review act, and thus not require further review.

Brown floated the idea that it might be considered an unlisted action in regard to town review, but having two different designations is not possible under state law. Finally it was agreed that simply reviewing the environmental assessment form should give the needed answers. The hearing was continued to Nov. 18, and this might be put to bed on that date.