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COOLSPRING TOWNSHIP, Mercer County – Tempers erupted Tuesday night at a Coolspring Township supervisers hearing over another new solar farm.
The three supervisers unanimously approved a conditional-use measure that will allow Sunrise Babcock Road LLC to construct solar panels on 31 acres on a 71-acre plot owned by Donald “Duane’’ King and his wife, Judy, along Airport Road and nearby Babcock Road.
Because Sunrise met all the land-use requirements, the supervisers were required to grant approval.
A Sunrise-affiliated company previously received township approval for another solar farm at a different location. The companies are based in Green Tree, Allegheny County, near Pittsburgh.
There were testy exchanges at times between solar farm supporters and opponents in the sweltering municipal building.
At one point when the supervisors adjourned into executive session, two men in the audience got into a face-to-face shouting match and were physically separated by other attendees.
The meeting lasted over three and a half hours, with about 90 attendees. A group of residents opposed to the solar farm had an attorney present and the company and township also had their respective attorneys on hand.
Speakers were sworn in and a stenographer recorded their testimony.
Those opposed to the project included township resident Tim Sirofchuck, who cited a 500-foot setback needed for solar farms as opposed to the current township regulation of only 50 feet. Sirofchuck said he lives across the street from the project.
That didn’t go down well with solar farm supporters.
Sunrise’s plan meets all the requirements under the township’s ordinances, Judy King said.
“The submitted map for this project must be followed, so adding a setback condition would be redundant,’’ Judy King said. “For that reason, we do not see the need to add additional conditions to our project.’’
Her husband took it further.
“I believe in landowners’ rights, we pay the taxes on our property and feel our neighbors and people in the township, especially those without standing, do not have the right to tell us what we can or can’t do on our property.’’
Dave Reno, who owns a farm in the township, called the 500-foot setback “absurd’’ and said the Kings had the right to lease the land for a solar farm.
“If somebody doesn’t like it, that’s too bad,’’ Reno said. “They should have bought more land.’’
Sirofchuck responded that he has tried for years to buy more property but those owners wouldn’t sell. He added that he believes a solar farm would harm the value of his property.
He said one of his key duties as an executive with a construction company was to conduct safety analysis and that he had general knowledge of solar farms. His concerns included oils from machinery, improper water control and harmful glare to motorists.
“You do get road glare,’’ Sirofchuck said. It’s a safety issue.’’
David Hommrich, president of Sunrise, testified he wasn’t aware of any harmful environmental problems created by solar farms.
Norma Struthers, a resident who owns a family farm in the township and a Realtor testified that in her research properties around solar farms fall 11 percent. Sunrise’s attorney countered that Struthers wasn’t a licensed real estate appraiser. Struthers said she was knowledgeable about real estate values.
In rendering their decision supervisors said they would require Sunrise not to use herbicides or pesticides on the property and heavy equipment for construction was limited to using Airport Road.
Township Supervisor Dale Bestwick said he understood where the opposition was coming from.
“It pretty much came down to they didn’t want it across from their house,’’ Bestwick said.
The supervisors’ decision can be appealed in court.
“I have a feeling this isn’t over yet,’’ Bestwick said.
He’s right, Sirofchuck said and added that the citizens’ group will meet to discuss upcoming strategies.
“I’m pretty sure we’ll go for some kind of injunction or some other action,’’ he said.
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