An East Boothbay child care center is moving to Edgecomb. On Oct. 7, Chelsea Simmons, owner of Ocean Point Day Care, received unanimous approval from the Edgecomb Planning Board for a change of use at Sawyer’s Way Auction Barn on Route 27.

Simmons plans on moving her business to the new location. She told planning board members about her plans to expand her care from two to 25 kids and hire two more employees. She currently runs her business at her Ocean Point Road home where she alone cares for five children. 

Simmons believes her move will provide more local child daycare services which are already scarce. “This is a perfect spot with the perfect building with a perfect backyard for kids,” she said. “I have a long waiting list, and this was before another Boothbay day care closed. It’s so bad there are people traveling to Wiscasset to drop off their kids for daycare.”

Once Simmons pays the $200 permit fee, she becomes eligible to seek state licensing for operating an Edgecomb child daycare center.

In other action, the board decided against seeking an escrow account from Syncarpha Capital, LLC for decommissioning solar panels. Syncarpha is planning to construct a 4.9 megawatt solar array with 17,500 panels on Route 1. The permitting process includes a plan for decommissioning solar panels at the project’s end. 

Originally, the planning board proposed a $217,000 escrow account for decommission, but Syncarpha declined and called it a “deal breaker.” Instead, the New York City energy company proposed a performance bond. “They don’t want to tie up a couple hundred thousand dollars in the project. So they are asking to use a performance bond,” board chairman Barry Hathorne said. 

The board voted unanimously to send wording from state statute regarding solar panel decommissioning. Board member Rebecca Graham read from the statute requiring either a surety bond, irrevocable letter of credit or performance bond to work as financial assurance which must be updated after 15 years, and every five years afterward. “Let them pick which one they want to use,” board member Jack French said.