I would like to share some observations regarding the solar project at Mercer Community College. First, I think West Windsor owes a debt of gratitude to Linda Geevers and Bryan Maher. They were the ones to spearhead the political opposition to the project. The mayor and the other members on the Town Council also swung behind the effort, but only after Geevers, Maher, and town residents had gotten the ball rolling.
Second, the mayor claims he had no idea of the scope of the project and did not keep tabs on its development because it was outside the township’s jurisdiction. If that’s the case, he should be deeply embarrassed that his Democratic colleagues at the county level kept him in the dark. A 9.5-megawatt solar farm costing almost $40 million and covering almost 45 acres of perfectly good farmland is no small thing. To be sure, I was gladdened that the mayor got involved and sent off a strong letter to county officials, and talked directly to County Executive Brian Hughes and DEP Assistant Commissioner Marilyn Lennon. But it would have been better if he had been plugged in from the start of the project in February, 2011, and asked the hard questions much earlier in the process. It may be true that the township did not have a legal say in this project, but that doesn’t mean we are completely powerless or without influence.
Third, a project that costs nearly $40 million with a return of less than $1 million annually over the next 15 years is a boondoggle. Mercer County Community College is the only entity that makes out like a bandit. However, Birdsall Services Group, an engineering consultant on the project, may just be an actual bandit! Investigators with the Division of Criminal Justice of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office raided the company’s offices in Wall and in Eatontown on May 2. We do not yet know what the investigators were trying to find, but I will note that the company made $129,700 in campaign contributions in 2011, and received $28,394,516 in public contracts that same year. Maybe the investigation has nothing to do with the MCCC solar project, but I can’t help but think about the cronyism that seems endemic to this industry. Think Solyndra, Ener1, and Beacon Power. When the government tries to pick winners, the taxpayer usually ends up the loser.
Fourth, this project cuts down some 150 mature trees. I guess trees are the old green technology that’s not worth keeping.
Finally, I hope residents remember in November that the Democrats have been calling the shots on this project. They dominate the county government and, until the residents rose up in protest, they didn’t give a thought about West Windsor — all they want from us is our tax money to spend on uneconomic projects in our own backyard without giving us a voice.
James R. Solloway
Monroe Drive, West Windsor
