Energy Aggregation & Topgolf updates

The Canton Electricity Choice (CEC) Committee, headed by resident Tom Birmingham, is accelerating plans to file a formal application for a municipal energy aggregation program with the state Department of Public Utilities sometime in the first quarter of 2023 following a public meeting and outreach program planned for either December or January.

In addition to finalizing an aggregation plan and an outreach program, the committee is also developing a model electricity supply agreement with a chosen supplier and determining which materials Canton electric customers will receive related to automatic enrollment notification mailings.

Once a formal application is filed, DPU usually renders a review and decision within 12 to 18 months.

The CEC committee is working with the Select Board and Town Administrator Charles Doody to schedule the public information meeting. Birmingham had initially proposed a December date, but Select Board Chair John Connolly said upcoming holidays could negatively impact attendance. Birmingham said the committee hopes to file the town’s application three to four weeks after the public information meeting and comment period.

In other news, Connolly said following Tuesday’s Select Board meeting that he had received a phone call earlier this month from the board of directors of TopGolf reaffirming that construction plans for the indoor golf entertainment complex on Dedham Street are “full speed ahead.” The project has been delayed for several years pending completion of infrastructure upgrades on Dedham Street, including construction of a new I-95 ramp, and has been further hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic and supply issues. However, construction has since ramped up as the company eyes a December 2023 completion date.

Connolly said the project is projected to generate new tax revenues of $800,000, plus additional tax revenues from liquor and food sales, and 400 new full- and part-time jobs. The Canton venue marks Topgolf’s entry into Massachusetts as it seeks to expand across New England.

The three-level venue will feature 90 hitting bays, each equipped with heaters, fans and the company’s Toptracer technology, which allows players to track their ball’s speed, distance, height and more after aiming the ball toward the on-field targets.

“It’s with great excitement and pleasure that I welcome Topgolf to our community,” said Connolly. “This project will have a significant economic impact on the town of Canton through the creation of jobs and increased tax revenue to support our schools and municipal services, in addition to the environmental and aesthetic benefits of cleaning up a blighted site. It’s truly a ‘hole-in-one’ for Canton.”

In other news from Tuesday’s meeting …

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Posted by Mike Berger on Nov 18 2022. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.