Community Engagement Log
A regulatory-compliant, public archive documenting every meeting, question asked, and concrete design change made in response to Charlton community feedback.
The Public Record: Engagement Timeline
Every meeting, pop-up, workshop, and consultation documented. Read summaries of what the community asked and the actions we took to respond.
OEJE / DPP Pre-Filing Engagement Consultation
Official kick-off meeting with the Office of Environmental Justice and Equity (OEJE) and Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to review compliance under 980 CMR 16.00 and gather feedback on the community engagement strategy.
What We Heard
- •Linguistic accessibility: outreach documents and website must support English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
- •Zoning overlay and developer business model transparency: explain the project transfer/sale expectations upfront.
- •Tree clearing: clarify the upper limit of clearing (expected ~10 acres) and protect heritage trees.
- •Site map detail: provide a comprehensive site map showing component boundaries and landmarks within a 1-mile radius.
- •Recommendation to hold additional sessions beyond the two mandatory public meetings, including smaller topic-specific formats that allow deeper conversation.
What We Did
- •Launched a multilingual website language switcher (English, Spanish, Portuguese) and fixed accessibility/accordion bugs.
- •Drafted explicit disclosures about the developer transition plan (reassuring that all permit conditions and CBA commitments run with the land).
- •Clarified that the current design expects to clear 10 acres or less of forested land.
- •Published a detailed interactive site boundary map and compiled a complete local/state permitting agency checklist.
- •Committed to hosting three public community meetings, one more than the state requires, and added a dedicated fire safety webinar as a topic-specific session.
Attached Media & Documents:
Charlton Select Board Meeting
Project introduction and community engagement plan presentation to the Select Board, outlining the proposed 150 MW BESS facility at 131 Carpenter Hill Road.
What We Heard
- •Concern from Planning Board Alternate Laurie Degnan regarding voter mandates limiting BESS projects to 5 MW and the state's consolidated EFSB process bypassing local zoning.
- •Concern over clearing forested land (up to 10 acres of the just over 47-acre BESS parcel) and removing topsoil.
- •Question about whether the town can opt out of state mandates if it already produces more than twice the solar energy it consumes.
- •Concern regarding the cumulative impacts of adjacent projects combining grid connections under EFSB rules without starting reviews from scratch.
- •Concern over historic local environmental burdens such as water contamination, with the town not qualifying for 'burdened community' scoring benefits under EFSB rules.
- •Questions regarding the developer's corporate domicile and how Charlton was selected for this project.
- •Public request to make presentation materials available to the community.
What We Did
- •Explained that the 2024 local zoning overlay petition was withdrawn to align with the Planning Board's timeline and wait for EFSB rules to be finalized.
- •Committed to co-creating a Charlton-specific Community Benefits Plan (CBP) and scorecard with a local Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC).
- •Clarified that the Sturbridge Road Storage project is not currently proceeding with a filing.
- •Explained that Charlton is strategically positioned near a major East-West transmission line to meet rising Springfield and Boston electric loads.
- •Committed to sharing the digital presentation slides with the Town Administrator to post publicly on the town's website.
Attached Media & Documents:
Annual Town Meeting Outreach Pop-up
We had a great time at the Annual Town Meeting! We spoke with residents before and after, picked up some signatures, and got a few people interested in learning more and joining the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC). We also connected with Fire Chief Barton, who is open to joining the CAC, and got to chat with Planning Board Chairman Bill Fontaine, who is looking forward to meeting with us in a few weeks. We also stopped by the landowner's house, and he will be attending our upcoming meetings. Our first CAC meeting is set for the first week of June, and we will be meeting with the Planning Board as well. Stay tuned!
What We Heard
- •Interest from several residents in learning more about the project and joining the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC).
- •Fire Chief Rob Barton expressed openness to joining the CAC to collaborate on safety planning.
- •Planning Board Chairman Bill Fontaine looking forward to meeting with the project team in a few weeks.
- •Local landowner confirmed they will attend upcoming meetings.
What We Did
- •Spoke with residents before and after the meeting, answered early questions, and collected signatures of interest.
- •Coordinated with Chief Barton, Chairman Fontaine, and the local landowner to prepare for upcoming sessions.
- •Scheduled the inaugural Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting for the first week of June.
Attached Media & Documents:
Inaugural Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting
Inaugural meeting of the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) with 12 attendees, including Charlton Fire representatives and community stakeholders, to establish operational expectations and review technical details.
What We Heard
- •Concerns regarding cumulative clean energy hosting burdens (the need for state-wide equitable siting) and lack of local utility rate savings.
- •Preference for a signed, binding Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) that travels with the project rather than a non-binding Community Benefit Plan (CBP).
- •Safety questions regarding emergency response capabilities, NFPA 855 standards, and thermal runaway protocols.
- •Priorities for local benefit plans: Senior Center funding, PILOT structures, tree mitigation, local labor, and post-construction reviews.
What We Did
- •Clarified that the fenced BESS equipment area will be about 5 acres or less, with total clearing of no more than 10 acres of the just over 47-acre parcel, and committed to website updates.
- •Committed to co-creating a Charlton-specific Community Benefits Plan (CBP) and scorecard with the CAC.
- •Published the official meeting minutes in the online Document Library.
- •Confirmed the public fire safety webinar (now set for August 19). The second CAC meeting was planned for early July, then moved so the first public community meeting could happen first, based on Planning Board feedback on June 3. It is now set for Tuesday, August 4, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM.
Attached Media & Documents:
Charlton Planning Board Meeting
Presentation to the Charlton Planning Board and open community discussion focusing on regional energy transmission, safety systems, water protection, and benefits planning.
What We Heard
- •Questions regarding potential private well and waterway contamination, and requests for environmental safeguard reports.
- •Safety concerns about thermal runaway containment, smoke chemical compounds, and local emergency response capability.
- •Clarification on the developer's experience with BESS project operations and long-term ownership transitions.
- •Inquiries about decommissioning bonds to ensure equipment removal and land restoration.
- •Discussion on the financial difference between standard taxation and negotiating a PILOT host agreement.
What We Did
- •Directed residents to carpenterhillpower.com for public access to all hydrological, acoustic, and environmental studies as they are completed.
- •Committed to developing a community-specific Emergency Action Plan (EAP) under NFPA 855 in collaboration with Charlton Fire.
- •Clarified that all battery systems will be UL-certified and backed by a legally binding decommissioning bond that transfers to future owners.
- •Discussed how negotiated payment terms, such as a PILOT, could provide greater and more predictable annual revenue than standard tax assessments, with specific figures to be confirmed through further research.
Attached Media & Documents:
Meeting with Town Administrator Andrew Golas
Meeting with Charlton Town Administrator Andrew Golas, the day after the first Citizen Advisory Committee meeting and the Planning Board presentation. We reviewed where the project stands and the upcoming engagement schedule, and talked through how our team will keep town staff informed through the pre-filing period.
Town Directors Briefing at Town Hall
On the morning of the first public community meeting, our team briefed Charlton town department directors at Town Hall. We walked through the site plan map, took questions from town staff, and previewed the materials residents would see that evening.
Attached Media & Documents:
Public Community Meeting #1
First open public community meeting. Project introduction presentation followed by an open Q&A session.
What We Heard
- •Severe concern over private well contamination, especially given Charlton's history with Exxon Mobil groundwater contamination.
- •Questions about fire safety, chemical toxicity of smoke plumes, and emergency response water supplies.
- •Frustration regarding the state EFSB consolidated permitting process bypassing local zoning decisions.
- •Concerns about 10 acres of tree clearing, hum from cooling fans, and proximity to Cady Brook and the nature preserve.
- •Concerns regarding heavy construction truck traffic and soil compaction during the 18-month construction period.
- •Desire for legally binding commitments in the Community Benefit Agreement that run with the project even if sold.
- •Inquiries about rate increases, local blackout protection, and why the town should host another power facility.
- •Demands for site design flexibility, specifically footprint adjustments, spacing, and system selection changes.
What We Did
- •Clarified that we designed site grading to direct runoff away from homes into a catchment swale and that state rules prohibit increasing water discharge.
- •Committed to conducting safety plume modeling, presenting detailed safety analyses at the August 19 webinar, and planning emergency water needs directly with the Fire Chief.
- •Explained that the pre-filing period is the community's best opportunity to shape the project's design, with benefit topics worked out through the Community Benefits Plan.
- •Committed to replanting programs and conservation partnerships to offset tree clearing, and pledged to publish sound study hum results soon.
- •Committed to following strict erosion controls, silt fencing, and cover cropping, and coordinating construction truck routing and timing with the town.
- •Explained that permit conditions and the decommissioning bond carry to future owners of the asset, along with any terms the town and the project put into a signed agreement.
- •Explained that the BESS stabilizes the grid, pushes peak market rates down, and generates negotiated PILOT funding rather than local household backup.
- •Demonstrated flexibility by reducing the proposed layout from 156 to 136 units, and committed to making summer design adjustments before the October queue deadline.
- •Committed to hosting a booth at Old Home Day on the Town Common on September 6, where residents can meet the team, ask questions, and weigh in on the Community Benefits Plan.
The Question Archive
Every question submitted through this site, asked at public hearings, or logged during workshops is published here with our official, binding response.