LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Square Roots Farm is looking to install solar arrays to generate power and provide shade for its livestock.
At the Planning Board's August meeting, farm owner Michael Gallagher, Steve McDonough of BlueWave Solar, and project manager Andrew Hamel with Weston and Sampson explained the solar power system layout and answered any questions before they submitted a formal application.
"For us, this project really makes so much sense with the kind of farming that we're already doing," said Gallagher. "If somebody had told us they would come and just put up shade structures just for us, just for the cows, that would have been a good deal on its own, even if there was no energy generation or anything else that went with it. Just for this first shade, in terms of the benefit for the cows and the chickens and for the forages, like that would have been a quick deal on its own. So really, this is really going to let us do a lot of the same things that we're already doing, but better."
"We can pull our chicken pens right up next to the rows, just like we do now," continued Gallagher. "We move them every day through the pasture. We can do that right between the rows of panels. The cows can graze under them. They're on like heavy I-beams, so if the cows want to rub and scratch on them, they can do that all day long."
He said the solar will not affect his farming in any way, but it will be adding to the farming as it will generate energy.
Hamel explained the rows are oriented north to south and the panels track east to west during the day while going into a flat "stow mode" at night. The project will cover 19 acres of the farm's 33, with 6,020 panels spread across two fields, generating 3,973.2 kilowatt direct currents (kWDC). He also said the arrays will be bounded by woven wire fences and a separate fence will surround the energy pad.
Gallagher said the farm already has a 10 kW solar array so any power generated would go directly back into the grid. According to BlueWave, it could produce energy for 800 to 900 homes, offsetting the annual consumption.
He said depending on permitting processing if they were permitted by March it could take four to six months to complete.
Planning Board member Audra Ladd asked what the array would look like from Old Cheshire Road.
While they don't have a configuration, the applicants said they have one drawn up but added that the array will most likely be at least 50 feet from the road. Hamel said they will verify with zoning bylaws to make sure they are in compliance.
It was also mentioned that part of the farm coincides with the Mount Greylock Scenic Viewshed and the town has a bylaw banning solar arrays from the scenic area. This could stop the project and Blue Wave asked for the best path forward before submitting a formal application to the board. The board will clarify with the town counsel on how best to go about that situation.
The town's consulting planner Andrew Groff mentioned that recent state zoning amendments changed the variance standard from "substantial hardship" to more flexible "practical difficulty" which may offer a variance path if scenic-route bylaw creates a practical difficulty for them.
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of people gathered downtown on Monday to remember those lost to overdose and work toward a future of zero deaths from substance use disorder.
The Berkshire Overdose and Addiction Prevention Collaborative and its partners held a proclamation reading and flag-raising at City Hall, followed by a standout in Park Square with signs promoting the use of naloxone, harm reduction, and reducing associated stigma.
There were 23 fatal overdoses in Berkshire County in 2025, 11 in Pittsfield. This is down 44 percent from the 41 countywide fatalities in 2024.
While it is a significant decrease, advocates want to see that number at zero.
"On the one hand, we're very pleased to see this significant of a decrease. This is actually the lowest number that we've had since [Department of Public Health] started collecting these numbers in 2013, but the goal is still zero," said Andy Ottoson, public health planner with the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.
August is International Overdose Awareness Month, the world's largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember those lost without stigma, and acknowledge the grief of families and friends left behind. September is National Recovery Month, a national observance to educate the public on the importance of substance use treatment and mental health services.
Samantha Kendall of Berkshire Harm Reduction explained that it is truly meeting people where they are, as they are, and when they are, "and I think we all do a really great job at that."
"We also want to remember that we're building a community for everybody, and systems and policies for everybody. That's really important in harm reduction work, so that's also the reason we're here today," she said.
Square Roots Farm is looking to install solar arrays to generate power and provide shade for its livestock. click for more
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Chili’s is struggling to find a tenant who will take over the lease and purchase its liquor license at 555 Hubbard Ave. after closing two years ago. click for more
Dozens of people gathered downtown on Monday to remember those lost to overdose and work toward a future of zero deaths from substance use disorder. click for more
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