Huntingburg Council: Solar Park passes zoning and subdivision hurdles

[gview file=”https://duboiscountyfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Proposed-Solar-Park-per-Huntingburg.pdf”%5DIn Tuesday night’s Huntingburg Common Council meeting, the council passed Ordinance 2016-05 that changes the zoning on 11.02 acres of land on the west side of Huntingburg to allow for the construction of a solar park that will provide electricity through Indiana Municipal Power Agency.

Several Huntingburg residents have appeared before the planning commission as well as the board of zoning appeals asking the city to consider another location. This is the second recommended location for the solar park.

After nearby residents raised stiff opposition to put the solar park on city-owned property at the intersection of Phoenix Drive and Chestnut Street, the city and the Indiana Municipal Power Agency began to explore other locations. According to Power Superintendent John Reutepohler, they investigated six locations before deciding on a plot of farmland further west on Phoenix Drive.

The new location will house 7,000 9-foot tall panels that will face south. It is about 650 feet away from the Barrington Estates neighborhood. The park is expected to produce about 1.8 megawatts of electricity at most. The electricity produced will alleviate demands on IMPA’s electric grids during peak times such as the hotter days of summer when air conditioners are running constantly.

During last night’s Common Council meeting, one resident of Barrington Estates, Bob Ritz, read a prepared statement against the solar park, asking the council to consider a joint effort to sustain the beautiful view from the subdivision by dedicating a sum of money to purchase and install a viable natural barrier between the subdivision and the solar park.

Also in the meeting last night, acting water department head, Gary Meyerholt reported to the council that Farbest Foods has ramped up production and is using much more water since the Avian Flu outbreak hit Dubois County. Farbest has been attempting to process healthy birds as quickly as possible to avoid further spread of the avian flu and greater financial losses.

Former Councilwoman Linda Summers attended the meeting last night and during the public comment portion of the meeting commended the water department for the great job that they are doing considering all of the problems in other locales such as Flint, Michigan.