Conway Select Board Votes for October Solar Adoption, Advances Covered Bridge Flood Design

WHATELY — May 18, 2026 — Conway Select Board picks October for new solar rules, hears covered bridge flood design. The board voted unanimously Monday to adopt October 1 rather than July 1 as the effective date for new state solar siting regulations, with Planning Board liaison Jeff citing unresolved questions about how the new state framework will interact with Conway's existing local bylaw. The decision keeps a pending Blue Wave solar application under the current local bylaw; board members raised concerns about slope calculations, glare near Route 116 and a school, wildlife hazards, and fire risk, and noted that Berkshire Design Group is already conducting outside peer review of the project. Earlier in the meeting, GZA consultant Rosalie presented three conceptual designs for a floodplain lowering project on town-owned land upstream of Conway's covered bridge, with public access trails and optional river crossings, to be shared at a June 23 community session. The board also approved an amended contract with the Franklin Regional Council of Governments reducing the MVP FY26 grant budget from $43,600 to $28,600 following the retirement of a key COG staffer, appointed Jennifer Mullins as a Planning Board associate member and Michelle Held to the Age Friendly Conway committee, and awarded $10,000 in Germaine Scholarships to five applicants.