4 days ago
Buffalo Township supervisors move forward with controversial solar farm project
A heated debate over renewable energy has come to a head in Butler County.
On Wednesday night, Buffalo Township supervisors voted to move forward with a controversial solar farm project despite strong opposition from many homeowners.
"It's not going to do me be a bit of good," Buffalo Township resident Norm Gray said.
Gray is in the majority. He said he's resisted the proposed solar panel farms in his community since the onset. But despite his and his neighbors' disapproval, the once beautiful view off his back porch, he says, will soon be gone.
"They're going to cover all these fields, cover a corn field, a soy bean field and naturally no one wants to look at that. I just can't picture that corn field over there with all these green panels just covering the entire field," Gray said.
Moreover, Gray says, allowing Atlanta-based SolAmerica Energy to install the solar arrays on an 81-acre spot off Bear Creek Road and a 19-acre parcel along Grimm Road will do nothing for him except lower his property value and potentially present health risks if there were a fire.
"It's not going to have any effect on us at all. In other words, I'm not going to get a cut on my electric bill because it's right in my backyard," Gray said.
On the other side of the debate, you'll find the minority, which includes township homeowner Beth Cribbs, who believes the positives outweigh the concerns. She said she can't understand why some of her neighbors are against the project and points to landscaping and screening requirements to reduce the visual impact.
"I think that's very selfish. Maybe it's not directly helping me with my bills, but it's helping the environment. I'm all for renewable energy. I'm glad that they're doing this," Cribbs.
The next phase will be to iron out the exact construction details with further input from the township planning commission and the supervisors.
