Worthington Sets Feb. 24 Special Town Meeting on Solar Moratorium Petition

WORTHINGTON -- January 13, 2026, Worthington votes unanimously to hold a February 24 special town meeting on a citizen solar moratorium petition. The Select Board set the date after town counsel confirmed a 45-day statutory deadline, with the Planning Board scheduling a concurrent public hearing beginning at 6 p.m. the same evening. Planning Board Chair Bart warned that the petition's blanket prohibition on solar and battery storage across all of Worthington is unlikely to survive Attorney General review, noting the AG has rejected every similar townwide solar moratorium in the past two years; the board is drafting a narrower alternative focused on the roughly 70 to 80 percent of town land classified as environmentally sensitive water resource area. Town-certified drinking water operator Tripp Shaw, of 27 Old North Road, formally warned the board that the proposed 190 Ridge Road solar project poses "an unacceptable risk" to the town's drinking water supply. Fire Chief Mike Don Diego reported he is still researching NFPA 855 battery storage fire codes and has a lengthy open list of access, suppression, and containment questions. The board also approved a three-year Permitdize online permitting contract at roughly $6,375 annually and voted to seek additional MassDOT funding for the stalled Pleasant Street bridge replacement.