Conway Select Board Votes to Pursue Free UMass Municipal Solar Study

CONWAY — January 20, 2026 — Conway Select Board unanimously backs no-cost UMass solar study for municipal buildings. The board voted January 20 to support a solar planning assessment by the UMass Clean Energy Extension program, which will evaluate Conway's municipal buildings and electrical grid infrastructure at no direct cost to the town — the only potential expense is printing a community survey. Sustainability Committee members, inspired by Ashfield's municipally funded solar project that is expected to power all of that town's municipal facilities, initiated contact with UMass CEE staff Barry Fradkin and Sarah Johnling, who previously completed similar assessments for Deerfield and Ashfield. Board members recommended the study prioritize parking-lot canopy structures at Conway Grammar School over rooftop installations, citing fire-safety concerns, and noted the new all-metal highway garage as the strongest rooftop candidate. Separately, the board approved three days of in-person early voting for June 8, 9, and 10, 2026, and voted to place vacancies on the Planning Board, Board of Assessors, and School Committee on the June ballot. During public comment, resident Tim Luce asked the board to consider a moratorium on large-scale farmland solar, citing the proposed Blue Wave project at the Boyden Farm on Route 116 and concerns about property values, stormwater runoff, and unspecified battery storage technology.