WESTERLO — On a mercifully mild January night, the town board met in a propane-heated town hall to consider the subject of heat — local and cosmic.

The local dimension had to do with making the town hall well-heated again after its 70-year- old steam-heat-generating boiler failed not long after voters in November rejected a bond issue that would have financed installing a new heating system as well as  making other needed upgrades to the former school building.  

The cosmic angle involved a discussion of a draft town law written “to establish specific regulations and approval standards for solar energy systems.”

On the local issue, Brad Burgett, a project planner with Delaware Engineering, gave the  town board an overview at its Jan. 3 meeting of the cost and a  timeline for two related projects: installing a new baseboard hot-water heating system and insulating the building to modern standards.  At present, he told The Enterprise, the venerable building has only two to three inches of insulation in the ceiling. The upgrade calls for 12 to 13 inches of insulation in the ceiling and first-time insulation in the wall cavities.

Delaware Engineering has been the town’s consultant since Westerlo first began planning more than two years ago to upgrade both the town hall and highway garage.  But the defeat of two bond issues — one in September 2015 by a wide margin and a second this past November by a narrow margin — have frustrated town officials who are now trying to do those things that can’t be left undone, on an ad hoc basis.

Delaware Engineering’s current working estimate is $135,000, for the new heating system — including a new boiler and new distribution piping — and insulation. Burgett says that, although the new system will be oil-fueled, like the old system, it should be much more efficient because “it will meet today’s energy codes.”  Old steam radiators will be removed as part of the conversion to baseboard heat.

“For a building this size, “ Burgett said, “hot water works much better than hot air or steam.”

For now the town hall is using temporary  propane tanks outside  the building to feed temporary wall heaters.Asbestos removal in the basement has been completed.

A request for proposals has gone out on an emergency basis, Burgett, said, to four contractors.  No advertising for bids is required in an emergency such as this, he said. One contractor has asked for an extension, and all bids should be in by Monday, he said.

Work should begin about one week after the town board approves a bid and should be completed about 45 days later, Burgett said, nothing the town hall will be able to function normally during the work.

The town’s 2017 budget, formulated before the bond issue defeat, included a line item for paying for a new heating system to cover the contingency of the bond issue failing.  The system has been on the verge of failure for a long time, town officials say.                   

Harnessing solar

A more dependable source of heat was the other main topic at the meeting.

A proposed new local law to regulate and set standards for solar power received an initial response, mainly from a town resident, Thomas Fancher, concerned about possible over-regulation  of small-scale non-commercial solar installations like the one he is contemplating.

“Why, “ he asked, “should the standards for a residential array be the same as those for a 20-acre array?”  He was referring to requirement that solar collectors be installed at least 100 feet from any lot line and 200  feet from any waterway.

The draft law’s standards for ground-mounted solar arrays are, in fact, almost the same whether residential or commercial, but a special use permit from the planning board is required for commercial projects.

Fancher, who intends to install ground-mounted collectors that would occupy less than one-half acre on his property told The Enterprise the law should have three categories rather than just two: personal (like his), commercial solar farms (10 acres or more), and community arrays. Hudson Solar is in discussion with the town’s planning board about its model for local community solar: small arrays about two acres in size that would distribute power to local residents who buy or lease panels in the array.

Currently, the only solar regulation in place in Westerlo is a setback requirement in the 1989 zoning law. State standards for residential installations are applied when issuing permits.

When a final draft of the law is ready, a public hearing will be scheduled.

2017 Reorganization

At the brief reorganizational meeting that preceded the town board meeting, these were among the actions taken:

— Karla Weaver was appointed as deputy registrar, deputy town clerk II , and deputy tax collector II ;

— Sara Stratham was re-appointed to the board of assessment review to a term expiring on Sept. 3, 20121; Guy Weidman was appointed  and current member William Van Iderstine was reappointed to the zoning board of appeals, both to five-year terms; and Richard Kurylo was re-appointed to the planning board, to a term ending  Dec. 31, 2021;

— The board approved the appointment of William Bichteman as a deputy supervisor, as recommended by Supervisor Rapp;

—  Raises previously adopted and made public were confirmed for a number of town employees and officials;

—  The board agreed to change the start time for future town board meetings from 7:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and