Not everyone could attend Little Town Meeting last night. Here’s what I said at the meeting:

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Hi, my name is Rich Brown, and I am running for a seat on the Planning Board.

I live at 84 Orford Road, with my wife Lin, and a small flock of chickens. During my years as a resident of Lyme, I’ve served as a Planning Board alternate, a member of the Budget Committee, and as a Trustee of the Trust Funds. And on Wednesday mornings, I’m a crossing guard at the Lyme School.

Since 2006, I have observed and participated in Planning Board meetings. I am fully acquainted with their procedures and the issues and challenges they face. This year, we’ll consider minor updates for solar arrays and how to encourage senior and other housing options in Lyme. Most importantly, I believe the Board needs to engage with people in town to hear their ideas on how best to tackle these issues.

Thank you again for listening, and please vote for Rich Brown for Planning Board.

At last night’s Little Town Meeting, I spoke in support of Article 2 – the Solar Energy amendment.

As Tim Cook and Hebe Quinton stated, the changes to the ordinance give clear, straightforward guidelines for “small solar energy systems” of up to 2,000 square feet. These will essentially be viewed as “structures”, with the intent that an application for a solar array would be treated the same as one for a garage or barn of similar size. Medium and Large arrays (up to 1 acre, and up to 7 acres) get more stringent review. 

I encourage the Town to approve Article 2.