By HOLLY GASKILL
Representatives from Paddlefish Solar announced the company’s decision to rescind their zoning application from Wells County on Monday.
Citing the increased pushback from community members over the last eight weeks, Project Manager Jesse Laniak said the company will regroup and focus on education and communication.
The solar company had applied for an “overlay district” to permit electrical production on 49 agriculturally-zoned parcels. After four hours of presentation from Paddlefish representatives and community members, the Area Plan Commission unanimously agreed on a “do not pass” recommendation for the Wells County Commissioners.
The commissioners were met by a similarly overwhelming turnout from community members and ultimately delayed their vote on the matter. However, each commissioner has since expressed negative sentiments about the project.
“I think that I’ve been a bit frustrated that some of the recent discourse has been rooted in the misinformation … I think we have to be humble here with what the Area Plan Commission has said, which is there’s a lack of a majority public sentiment for utility-scale solar,” Laniak told the commissioners Monday.
Paddlefish’s announcement did not appear on the agenda, as it was a part of public comments. However, that did not prevent a full audience from attending to share their opinions.
Megan Dunham, Craigville, pushed back against Laniak’s statements about misinformation, saying the people against the project had done their research and didn’t like what they had found. She also questioned if the company was genuinely attempting to increase communication and transparency since they had recently limited some of their post comments on Facebook.
Polly Wymer, Markle, also doubted if the company had done its due diligence in notifying residents, claiming no residents had received letters about the project. These complaints were echoed by Michelle Bowman, Craigville, who said she had only recently learned about the project on Facebook.
“Unfortunately, here in Wells County, right now it’s been all about Paddlefish, Paddlefish, Paddlefish — that’s only the beginning,” Bowman said, referring to other solar leases alleged in other parts of the county.
Additional comments came from Fred Wymer, Markle, who said the company should abide by the same process as utilities, and Tabby Fate, Warren, who said everyone has to make concessions to live in community with others.
“I did get asked (to sign a lease), and I said no, because I would never do that to my neighbors,” Fate said. “They matter. We all matter. I just felt like it’s kind of irresponsible to sign up good farm ground (for) solar panels.”
Laniak said the company “takes their investment seriously” and highlighted multiple times Paddlefish has promised above developmental requirements, worked with the county on previous agreements, and donated locally. The company holds land leases for 3,000 acres in southern Wells County and crossing into Huntington County.
“I do genuinely feel really confident that Wells County is a good place for utility-scale solar … And I just want to make sure we take the time to really broaden our educational platform and make sure there’s time to have the right discourse and a stable environment for making an informed decision,” Laniak concluded.
Outside of the debate, Commissioner Jeff Stringer asked the public to remain civil in their conversations and remember to treat one another as people.
“I’m a pretty thick-skinned guy, but we’re learning as we go too,” Stringer said. “So when you talk to one another, when you talk to (Laniak) and his team, when you talk to people that are pro-solar, when you talk to people that are anti-solar, pro the health department, anti the health department — or whatever the issues are, just remember, we are a small community of civility.”
holly@news-banner.com
