Letter to the editor: Panton land is wasted on solar

My reaction to Bill McKibben’s letter to Editor, May 16, Addison Independent, supporting the Panton solar project was one of great distress.

They produce clean renewable energy over which no wars will be fought.

Andy Kirkaldy’s story makes clear something that usually gets lost in these accounts: this array would replace an operation that uses huge amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus which then wash into Lake Champlain.

I could just break down and cry at the thought of 300 acres of beautiful farmland being turned into ugly solar panels!

There is no question about one element of the 50-megawatt solar array that is proposed for land west of Route 22A in Panton. At 300 acres, mostly now farmland, it would be big — Vermont’s largest. 

As folks in Panton discuss a 50-megawatt solar array that Freepoint Commodities is proposing to put up west of Route 22A and south of West Road, the local debate is playing out on a larger stage.

After rejecting two budget proposals, Vergennes-area residents on Tuesday will again make a decision on proposed school spending for the 2024-2025 school year.

PANTON — Agricola Farm in Panton was among 20 farms to receive a Barn Preservation Grant recently from The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and the Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. This year, the program will award $350,235 to … (read more)

For the second time this month, residents of the five communities on Tuesday rejected a spending plan — this time by 18 votes.

Back in the pandemic winter of 2020-2021 Panton’s David Clevenstine was looking to cool off from a case of cabin fever — not the COVID kind, but the variety resulting from being cooped up too long. 

State police say that Gerard Vorsteveld was under the influence when the boat he was driving hit Lydia Vorsteveld, causing life-threatening injuries.

“Someone has said before, there’s not very many places that you can get your pet food, your fishing rod, your bait, your grain, your steak and beer, and walk out the door,” co-owner Mikayla DeGraaf said. 

As is the case in other Addison Northwest School District towns, Panton homeowners’ property tax rates are going up for the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year (FY24). 

The following arms-length real estate sales were recorded in Panton between January 2022 and May 2023.

Colby Johnson was last seen leaving his Panton residence with his dog, Koko, at around 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 25.