Woolwich selectmen will host an informational meeting at the town office to discuss a privately funded solar array at the former landfill at 6 p.m., Thursday, April 13. Voters have the final say on the proposal at the April 29 annual town meeting.

Nick Sampson of ReVision Energy will explain the benefits of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). There’d be no upfront costs to the town. ReVision, based in Liberty and Portland, proposes constructing a 24-kilowatt grid-tied array generating an estimated 29,656 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Selectmen’s Chairman David King Sr. said Monday the array would reduce the town’s carbon footprint. “There’s no immediate benefit for the town doing this. It’s really the next generation of residents who would benefit financially.”

After the array goes online, ReVision would lease the site to the town for $1 per year, with the town agreeing to purchase all power generated from it for six years. King said in year seven the town has the option to buy the array, earning credit for all the power it produces. The system has a life expectancy of 30 to 40 years. ReVision would maintain and insure the system as long as it owns it. King said selectmen opted for a larger array that would generate about 97 percent of the town’s electrical needs.

Selectmen Allison Hepler and Allen Greene both think the project offers a good opportunity for the community. Helper has previously gone on record in support of it. Greene commented although the project offers no immediate benefit, it’s good for the community’s future. Selectman Dale Chadbourne said he’s not sold on the proposal. “There are still too many unknowns for me,” he told the Wiscasset Newspaper.

“It’s such a long process, years in fact, before the town sees any financial benefit from it. It’s also impossible to predict how the laws might change for regulating these. The uncertainty is what bothers me,” he said.

Selectman Jason Shaw is away on vacation and was not contacted.

Selectmen aren’t asking for any funding for the project in the 2017-18 budget. ReVision estimates the array will cost $79,397 to construct. The firm projects energy savings of more than $150,000 over the next 40-years.

At the board’s regular meeting Monday, April 3, Fire Chief Mike Demers said he’d been in contact with Community Leasing Partners, a division of Community First National Bank based in Manhattan, Kansas. If town meeting voters decide to purchase a new fire pumper truck, the company would finance the purchase at 3.13 percent over 10 years, he said.

Demers said the town would need to sign the agreement soon after town meeting to lock in the interest rate. Demers added he hopes to have the truck delivered in October. Under the financing terms, the town could choose to hold off on the first payment until 2018, he said.

King suggested Demers contact several local banks. How the board proceeds depends on which way the town votes, he said.

Selectmen granted Demers and EMS Director Brian Carlton permission to get estimates for selling one of the ambulance department’s two cardiac monitors.

Road Commissioner Jack Shaw said town roads will remain posted to heavy loads until the middle of the month.