Oakham Board of Selectmen Unanimously Adopts Resolution Opposing Coldbrook Road Battery Storage Project

OAKHAM -- May 27, 2025, Oakham Board of Selectmen votes unanimously to oppose a proposed battery energy storage system near the Ware River watershed. The board adopted a formal resolution Tuesday calling on the state Department of Public Utilities Energy Facilities Siting Board to reject the project proposed for Coldbrook Road, citing its location approximately 2,112 feet from Oakham Center School, its adjacency to roughly 23,000 acres of Department of Conservation and Recreation land, and its potential threat to a watershed that supplies drinking water to more than 3 million people via the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs. The board also designated newly elected member Dennis Bergen a special municipal employee under MGL Chapter 268A, Section 19, allowing him to continue serving as the town's wiring inspector at $60 per inspection while on the board. A proposal to bring in per-diem treasurer-collector help at $40 per hour was held over to the June 2 meeting pending a clearer accounting of how the work would fit within the office's 15-hour-per-week budget.