MORNING SENTINEL • March 9, 2024
About 40 people turned out for Saturday’s annual town meeting in Athens where they turned down a request to adopt a solar energy facility ordinance and approved a temporary moratorium for wireless transmission facilities in town. Residents aired concerns about more people wanting to install large solar systems on farmland and entities requesting to install wireless towers that could potentially cause illnesses and other issues if restrictions aren’t in place. There are two solar arrays in town and two more entities have asked for permits to locate there. First Selectperson Hilary Lister said if voters reject the ordinance, the town’s moratorium on solar facilities would remain in place until May. As long as that is in place, no large-scale systems can be developed. Then the town could vote on an updated ordinance at a special meeting. Residents overwhelmingly voted to reject the proposed ordinance.