Falls Village airs discussion on fiber optics, solar panels

FALLS VILLAGE — First Selectman Henry Todd reported to the Board of Finance Monday, Nov. 14 that he had recently met again with Fronteir Communications and the company expressed an interest in bringing fiber optic lines to the town.

Todd said “we could probably get most of the town” wired up at no cost, but to do the entire town, “we’d have to pay something.”

Todd reported he was expecting a traffic study on the intersection of Routes 7 and 126, which he said is rated “one of the 10 worst in the area.”

Todd said there is a nascent proposal from Eversource to set up solar panels on part of the town farm property. Todd said the first six years of a deal would be a “break even” situation, but by the seventh year (of a 25 year deal) the panels would generate some income in the form of offsets.

“None of this is set,” he cautioned.

During a discussion of the Board of Selectmen’s list of American Rescue Plan Act expenditures, Amy Wynn asked Todd and the other selectmen to be very clear about expectations and meeting guidelines for recipients of the federal funds.

At the selectmen’s meeting, immediately after the finance board’s meeting,  the board appointed Ruth Skovron to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Daipai Horace to the Recreation Commission, and reappointed Emily Peterson as Recreation Director.

Todd said there will be a town meeting in January to take care of a number of items, including receiving the annual town report and to consider an ordinance redefining the jobs of bookkeeper and treasurer.

Todd reported that the town received $572.45 from the state’s settlement with opioid manufacturers. The selectmen agreed to turn the money over to the emergency services departments to offset the cost of Narcan.