Concerned Rail Trail User, Thanks for the info. I wonder if the trees they took are anywhere near the buffer (even if they are on another person's land) as they would still have significant impact on drainage in a wetland resource area. It seems that concom could still have reason to call them back to the table if the trees in question are in the resource area.

a question... | 2014-08-07 06:54:50

There will be a Rail Trail Committee meeting tonight (8/6) at 7:00 PM in Room 014 of Town Hall. The Trails Committee will be meeting with SOLECT to discuss mitigation for the damage that their contractor caused. I believe these meetings are open to the public. I for one am glad that they didn't build the 3 huge industrial buildings that were originally planned by the previous owner, Hill Companies. I'd much prefer quiet solar panels than more of the noisy industrial park buildings that are now in Hopping Brook. Also, the town sees this destruction as a civil matter, and the land is leased from CSX. I don't think that CSX probably gives a hoot if the trees were cut down on their land. They didn't violate any ConCom regs or Planning regs - they didn't change their engineering plans - they just didn't follow their plans and did work off of their property; therefore, this is a civil trespassing matter.

Concerned Rail Trail User | 2014-08-06 07:58:54

Folks, a solar field is an industrial installation. It is a power plant. Worse, it is a power plant that is only cost-effective with significant government subsidies (and guess who pays for those, ultimately?). There may come a day when solar technology advances to the point where it is efficient--and cost-effective--in the Northeast, but that day hasn't come yet. So we pay through our taxes and our energy bills for the privilege of hosting an installation that requires the clear-cutting of trees in order to operate. And advocates pat themselves on the back for being "green" and progressive. This will keep happening until people pay attention before the chainsaws show up.

Dan Haley | 2014-08-04 08:15:29

Thanks to the Unknown Biker for bringing this to everyone's attention. I, too, thought this was a subdivision going in. Has there been an official response from Solect?

Joe Jankovsky | 2014-08-04 04:48:41

Holliston, lets send our chairman Mr. Conley a email to find out what he will do about this. This is our land and we have a company coming here destroying our beautiful land so he can make money. "WHAT A SHAME" No need of this. Solect went in front of the town with a full set of plans to do this work which showed what trees were to be removed. Where is this plan? the planning board should have it on file. Lets get it and take action.

Paul | 2014-08-03 07:08:07

Heartbroken... That was not the lawyer..The lawyer was one who has connection to town land assessments. Also the state officials have repeatedly said they are not happy that people are cutting lots of trees to erect solar panels....Another issue is both large solar farms being constructed in town with combined construction costs of 25 to 30 million dollars.. What will be the tax valuation and how much will the town realize in tax revenue from this commercial venture ?? It has been said that the town will exchange tax money for electricity credits.. the PILT program .. payment in lieu of taxes .. the town should know exactly what this amount will be and if it makes sense to do this.. Note that this evaluation process may have already taken place . I would think that the owner of this property and this project would want to know what the tax implications would be because that would certainly effect the profit. You can imagine the tax revenue that could be realized from the two huge solar farms being constructed in town.. Hope the town officals will minimize the tax breaks and collect as much as possible and hold the tree cutters responsible for unauthorized destruction of the woodlands so the solar project could be built. Thanks to the town tree warden ..this did not happen on Bullard Street Don

Don Bates | 2014-08-03 06:48:23

There are no penalties unless one of our Selectmen, planning board members, or concom members step forward with such action. It does not happen just because it's right. So the question is, who is going to step forward and "make it right"?

Take action | 2014-08-03 06:17:00

If Solect did indeed cut down trees on another's property, the damages are harsh. The Massachusetts Appeals Court in 2008 affirmed an award of $90,000 for the willful felling of ten mature oak trees. Glavin v. Eckman, 71 Mass. App. Ct. 313 (2008). Damages are not just the value of the timber but the actual cost to replace the trees. Further, damages can be multiplied by three if the act was willful. Whether Solect meant to do and whether they had the landowners permission, I do not know. What's certain is that the clear cutting of the buffer between the trail and the solar site will take years to repair. For a company that trades on the currency of "being green," this is unforgivable. Local towns considering doing business with Solect surely must proceed carefully.

Ted | 2014-08-03 03:25:55

Not a bike rider, but had the opportunity to walk this section of the trail before those trees were clear-cut. It was such a beautiful place, and now it has been defiled. D Bates, I must ask, was that local attorney Michael Healy perchance?

Heartbroken | 2014-08-02 17:19:02

Whether Solect's contractor made a"big" mistake or SOLECT whispered in their ear to be aggressive, much more was cut than was approved in their permitting process. Solect should be publishing an apology right now and promising not only full restoration but substantial monetary compensation to be used for open space and habitat restoration. More than just theTrail Committee should be involved in this negotiation..it should be the Selectman and Planning Board. The Town was wronged by this developer not just the Rail Trail. Outrageous.

shell | 2014-08-02 09:50:33

Cutting all those trees down just negates the little benefit that the solar will provide to the environment. Solar is the most expensive type of electricity and really benefits very few people today. If you had been at the Selectman's meeting when this was proposed by a local town attorney it was said you would only see a few panels from Rt 16 where the old house was torn down.. Did they get that permit?? You would have thought that with that many trees being cut that the town tree warden would have been involved like he was on Bullard street a few years ago. also, we the taxpayers pay dearly for the wind and solar farms to be built.. Don

D Bates | 2014-08-02 08:58:11

Thank goodness the folks on Bullard St. were smart enough to realize that this type of thing would happen in their neighborhood - right next to their houses! Green is good, but no one realized it would come this close to the rail trail.

Citizen | 2014-08-02 08:02:06

Solect - the developer - trespassed onto the leased right of way (remember the Town does not own this stretch of the trail yet) and cavalierly cut down over 100 trees that presumably would have blocked sun to their panels. They knew this was an issue when the site was being engineered, but chose to clear cut the north side of the trail without notice or permission and then apologize later. More ominous are the many more trees on the south side of the trail marked for cutting. I believe this developer thought its plan to build a parking lot for the trail at this location would serve as goodwill large enough to overcome the trespass on the trail right of way. It should not. There is already a trails committee working on this. Where are the Selectmen? Radio silence as usual.

Bill Dowd | 2014-08-02 07:36:01

It's like any construction project. I thought it was houses when I cut through from the trail to Washington St. What's the big deal? The trees will grow back. I also think that saying "It's solar! How dare they cut down trees!" is quite ridiculous.

Andrew Mades | 2014-08-02 06:46:12

Wait till the solar panels and inverters go in, you think it looks bad now. The company doing this is Solect energy out of Hopkinton. Call them up and complain. this is typical of them.

paul | 2014-08-02 06:04:28

Unfortunately when somebody around here says "solar" most other people have an orgasm and think it is wonderful.

john | 2014-08-02 04:38:29

There should be videos that HCAT took of the promises made about this project. Do we have a bond? Must we form a committee to urge the appropriate town agents to take some action to repair/reimburse us for this damage and misrepresentation? Can we learn from this experience how to tell if future developers are making false promises? Let's pass Solarize Holliston and do this the right way, with the network of advice and incentives that has worked for so many other towns.

citizen | 2014-08-02 04:32:09