BREEN – The Breen Community Building was abuzz Tuesday night as neighbors of the proposed Hesperus solar project filled the room to hear a presentation from the group organizing to halt the project.
Primergy Solar submitted an application to the county for the project on Nov. 4. The company is proposing to build an array of panels that would generate 155 megawatts annually in addition to 155 MW of battery storage on 1,900 acres near Hesperus.
The presentation ran about a half-hour in length and was followed by an opportunity for attendees to share comments and ask questions. The event was moderated by Pam Petrie, one of the committee members of the Stop Hesperus Solar Project group. Hudson Grigg, Maggie Kavan and Barry Spear each took turns summarizing the group’s list of concerns.
After they were done, two more members of the committee, Helen Aspaas and Jenne Settles, asked their neighbors to sign the group’s petition. Five hundred people had signed the online petition as of midday Wednesday.
The meeting was well attended. About 70 people showed up in-person, while another 100 people tuned in to the livestream.
A litany of questions and comments followed the presentation as attendees offered advice to the group, raised potential issues of concern, or expressed suspicion toward Primergy Solar, the company that is seeking approval to build the project.
Some of the group’s grievances stem from a lack of information or have the potential to be mitigated. Others, however, strike at the heart of the distrust between the Hesperus community and Primergy.
Despite the fact that Primergy’s application says panels will be washed twice per year using a total of 5-acre-feet of water annually, several attendees expressed skepticism at the statistic. The group also reiterated concerns that the Fort Lewis Mesa Fire Protection District did not have the capacity to suppress a fire at the site.
The department’s Fire Chief John Lee has previously tried to assuage the concern, affirming that Primergy has offered to train the department on how to manage a potential fire at the site and that the department is well-equipped to deal with any such situation.
La Plata County Environmental Planner Christy Kost was in attendance as well, given that community input is a critical aspect for consideration when the proposal ultimately goes in front of the Board of County Commissioners. Kost was called on to answer several questions herself, and reassured attendees that the project will not be given any preference over other planning projects in the queue.
While the discourse remained civil and organized, some speakers expressed distrust of the Board of County Commissioners, La Plata Electric Association and Primergy.
“Be ready – be ready for the systems to go down when you're making comments,” said one attendee. “... Be ready for all of this, but you're gonna have to hold your county commissioners accountable as well.”
Notably, no one stood up to speak in favor of the project.
“I was, as a matter of fact (surprised that no one spoke in favor of the project) because we are in a community that is very diverse and there’s probably people out there that do support it,” Spear said after the meeting.
“We have had discussions with many of those who oppose the project, and those lines of communication remain open,” said Kathryn Meyer, director of the project for Primergy, in a statement to The Durango Herald. “However, we respect the privacy of those in the community, and did not attend the meeting since no invitation was extended. We would have attended if invited. Primergy’s commitment to listening to and sharing information with members of the Hesperus community, regardless of their stance on the project, has not and will not change.”
Not all of the attendees were staunchly against the project – some just felt as if they were uneducated and wanted to learn more.
“I just wanted to see what was being said,” Terry Galloway said after the meeting as he and his wife Jennifer discussed whether to sign the group’s petition. “... We’re going to go online and maybe learn a little bit more about it and maybe sign up online.”
Scott Thompson went up to the microphone to share how the event had changed his mind.
“I came here with the attitude of, ‘Not my field, not my property, I don't care,’’’ Thompson said. “But hearing this, I don’t think I want anything to do with it. I’m glad you guys are doing the research, keep up the good work.”
The county has until Jan. 4 to determine whether Primergy has submitted a complete application. It could be another eight months before the proposal lands in front of the Board of County Commissioners.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
A previous version of this story gave incorrect figures on the capacity and output of the proposed Hesperus solar project. The project is projected to generate 155 megawatts of power and have battery storage for another 155 MW.
