The construction of five free-standing solar panels in front of a residence on Grondin Pond in Scarborough has divided neighbors in the upscale development and prompted the town to take another look at permitted construction.

“We’re going to see more of this as people try to become more energy independent,” said Town Manager Ron Owens. “It’s a question of, do you encourage solar panels or do you try to discourage them in residential neighborhoods?”

At a town council meeting on July 18, dozens of neighbors showed up to protest the project, which they believe they should have known about before it was built.

According to Code Enforcement Officer David Grysk, the construction of the structures constitutes a permitted use in the town, which means he was not required to inform abutters.

“It’s the same as putting in a swimming pool,” Grysk said.

The series of panels is only the second one of its kind in Scarborough, and the reaction to it has town staff and officials trying to determine whether to change the ordinance in order to prevent another similar response from the public or leave the law alone so as not to discourage energy-efficiency efforts.

Though members of both the Grondin Pond and Woodview neighborhood associations expressed their frustration with the town for not informing them of the project, Laurence Gardner, who erected the solar panels, was also let down that his neighbors, some of whom he has personal relationships with, never called him before – or after – going to the town.

“It’s a little disappointing,” Gardner, who was not at the council meeting, said Monday.

Walter Laqualia, who lives on Clearwater Drive, passed out pictures of the panels to the council to show how they have changed the view for him and his neighbors.

“I hope you are as shocked with what you see there as the residents of Grondin Pond are,” Laqualia said. “It was very disappointing that a project of this size and this magnitude could be built without prior knowledge,” he said after the meeting.

Gardner, who lives in the Woodview Drive home with his wife, Alison Noiles, and eight of their 10 children, said he put up the panels in order to “decrease our carbon footprint.” He said the size of his family makes them “massive power consumers” and that they have cut the amount of electricity they use by half. Gardner said his family also recycles and uses energy-efficient lighting.

“We take these things seriously, and we’re trying to do something about it in our own modest way,” Gardner said. According to Grysk, the project’s price tag was $98,000.

Owens said environmental efforts, such as putting up solar panels or buying a hybrid car, are typically not done “because you’re trying to save money, but because you want to make a statement.”

Though many of Gardner’s neighbors stood up at the meeting claiming to be advocates of green power, Gardner said “that doesn’t pass the straight-face test” in conjunction with their complaints.

Environmental problems are serious, Gardner said – and they are everybody’s problems. “You can’t just sit back and do nothing anymore, pretending it doesn’t affect you because your house is too fancy or you pay too much in property taxes.”

Gardner said it never crossed his mind that his neighbors would react the way they have. He said if someone across the pond had done the same thing before him, he would have gone over and shaken his hand, though, he said, “we didn’t do this to get pats on the back. We did this to make a difference.”

Owens said the town will look to see how the situation has been dealt with in other towns before Scarborough officials make any decisions. According to Grysk, one possibility would be to change the construction of free-standing solar panels to fall under the category of special exceptions rather than permitted uses, which would mean the projects would have to go to the zoning board of appeals and neighbors would be notified.

Owens said, in terms of doing anything about the current situation, it’s up to the members of the Woodview Association to take legal action, though “primarily it’s the Grondin Pond Association that’s most upset by it because it’s across the lake from them.”

“They’ll get over it,” Gardner said.

Solar panels spark heat from neighbors