To the Editor:
I appreciate the Warwick Advertiser’s continued coverage of the Church Street BESS fire. I’d like to add a crucial detail that wasn’t included in the article regarding the Jan. 20 board meeting: In August 2025, the Village received communication from O&R’s community liaison that the BESS facility had been operating since Jan. 6, 2025.
Mayor Newhard directed the building department to verify with both Convergent and O&R. He went on to say, “Unfortunately, this verification did not occur. At the time, the full Board of Trustees was not notified about this concern until the fire in December.”
For four months, the mayor failed to confirm whether or not the facility was connected to the grid. He pointed to the inaction of the building department, but whose job is it to manage the building department? His reason for not relaying information to his trustees was that he “was waiting for clarification from the building department.” Again – four months.
I’ll also note that this piece of transparency wasn’t shared with the public until after 1) the Village’s private meeting with O&R, which their liaison was present for and 2) receiving a letter from Convergent in which the company challenged the Village’s claim that they didn’t know about the facility operating.
I very much appreciate the mayor’s newfound commitment to transparency, as well as all of the steps being taken by the village to ensure we are never in a BESS mess like this again. I know they found a portion of the missing Environmental Assessment Form, and I look forward to that being made available to the public. I am also eager for confirmation that fines have been issued to the owner of 28 Church St. for the 11 months he allowed this to happen on his property.
Megan Cooke
Warwick