Uxbridge voters: power plant nixed on Town Vote !

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

A majority of the 600 voters attending the meeting and shot down the Power Plant !

UXBRIDGE - Voters at a special town meeting Saturday approved borrowing $44.8 million for mandated upgrades to the town's wastewater treatment plant, but voted against amending zoning bylaws that would have allowed a proposed power plant.

More than 600 people attended the meeting at Uxbridge High School auditorium, and the town meeting articles required a two-thirds majority to pass, according to Town Manager David A. Genereux.

The wastewater treatment plant upgrades have been ordered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The $44.8 million appropriation puts Uxbridge in a position to receive 0 percent and 2.4 percent loan funding through the State Revolving Fund.

A bylaw amendment that was defeated by a majority of voters Saturday would have allowed production capacity for an electrical generating facility to be increased from 350 megawatts to 1 gigawatt. Under current zoning, up to two plants with a combined capacity of 500 megawatts are allowed. The defeated article would also have amended that to allow up to two plants with a combined capacity of 2 gigawatts.

In February, EMI NextGen had proposed to the Board of Selectmen constructing a 1 gigawatt natural gas-powered electricity generating plant at the former Immanuel gravel pit site at 775 Millville Road, South Uxbridge. Another article would have rezoned the parcel at Millville Road to "Industrial." However, after the defeat of the bylaw amendment, the rezoning article was withdrawn, Mr. Genereux said.

Town meeting members had been told that the electricity generating plant would bring $3 million to $4 million per year to Uxbridge as payment in lieu of taxes revenue. The bylaw and rezoning articles were supported by the Board of Selectmen.

"That was a one-off proposal at this point," Mr. Genereux said after the meeting. "I'm glad we had a large attendance from the community, and the community spoke. We'll continue to look for other opportunities."

Burrillville Voters should demand that the Power Plant in Burrillville be PUT ON A BALLOT !