Date: April 18th 2009

Hi all, Well, the Beacon-Villager has published their articles on the landfill (one discussing the solar farm proposal, and one discussing our proposal). The main article is here (they have not yet published the article about our proposal on their website):

They've also published a really uninformed editorial that states, in part:

"...we must endorse the idea of building a solar panel power station on the site of the former landfill. That power station would likely preclude using the land as an off-leash dog park."

Editorial link

Here is what I sent to the Beacon in response:

I am writing in response to the Beacon Villager editorial published on 4/16 ("Love dogs, need energy)."

There are several problems with this editorial, the most important being that there is no reason that both the park and solar farm can't coexist. Moreover, it is not yet clear that the solar installation is even feasible, given the requirement that nothing can penetrate the cap. I feel that the Beacon is being premature in even stating a position, since there are so many unknowns about the solar proposal. No one has done a site study yet, and the proposal is in the very earliest stages. The solar panels would likely need to be up on the hill, and we're proposing to use the flat part at the base of the hill. The site is 13 acres - there is plenty of room.

In short, there is no need to present this as an "either/or" proposition. MayDOG believes we can do both.

You can send a letter to the editor right from our site, or send an email to beaconvillager@cnc.com. Or you can comment on the editorial using the Beacon's online comment interface. Or you can do both!

Please come to our next meeting this coming Tuesday, April 21, at 7pm, in the Cullen Room at the Maynard Public Library. We need to talk about strategy and plan for our upcoming events.

Thanks, Lisa

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