Huntingburg solar park concerns neighbors

A handful of Huntingburg residents whose homes are adjacent to a proposed solar power park expressed concerns at an informational meeting Thursday evening.

Besides residents, members of the Huntingburg Common Council, Planning Commission, and Board of Zoning Appeals also attended to have questions answered and gauge concerns voiced about the proposal.

Dan Worl, the Indiana Municipal Power Agency’s energy efficiency manager, gave a presentation regarding the organization’s efforts to increase its renewable power portfolio.

According to Worl, IMPA is attempting to create solar power parks — each producing 1 to 2 megawatts of power — in the 59 communities the organization serves. IMPA began exploring solar power in 2013 after stricter emission regulations on coal-fired power plants from the Environmental Protection Agency forced older power plants to be retired.

Worl told those attending the meeting that the solar panel parks are being put in place to service the communities and to shave off the agency’s need to purchase power during peak demand times. The solar power would then assist in curbing electrical utility rates during peak times when power prices increase due to demand.

Most attending the meeting were supportive of the agency’s proposal with the exception of its location in Huntingburg.

The city-owned land being proposed is along Phoenix Drive and Chestnut Street. It is about 20 acres of former surface coal mine that has been reclaimed and is unsuitable for construction of any permanent structures. Easements exist for power lines along two areas of the property. These, in addition to an electrical substation located near the intersection of Phoenix and Chestnut on the property, reduce the available area for the solar park to about 12 acres.

IMPA will place over 4,032 panels over about five acres although the park will require nearly 10 acres to allow space for equipment as well as paths for maintenance. The entire site will be surrounded by a 7-foot green vinyl-covered chainlink fence. The solar panels will stand up to nine feet tall at their highest point.

Construction of the park is expected to cost about $2 million and take about three months to complete. If it proceeds, the park could be active by October.

IMPA is not eligible for any type of subsidy to construct the park but it has requested a 10-year abatement through the city. Once the abatement is complete, IMPA will pay over $12,000 annually to the city for the site.

All the power produced would be available to Huntingburg residents and businesses. To accomplish this, IMPA must build the site “behind the meter” which limits the locations it can consider. The electric substation on this property makes the site more cost-effective for the construction and eases access to Huntingburg’s grid.

The public meeting was scheduled at the request of Marie Court resident Manoli Miliotis. During the meeting, he voiced his concerns about the park hurting home values in the area and asked Worl to comment on that impact.

Worl said he couldn’t specifically comment on this site but he had not heard of any drastic impacts to home values at other sites.

Militios asked about the creation of a living barrier comprised of trees, bushes or decorative grasses to block the park from view.

According to Worl, IMPA will offer to plant something to assist with blocking the view but those plants would have to be on the homeowners’ properties and need to be maintained by those residents. This is due to the limited amount of space available for the solar park in relation to the easements for large power lines going through the property.

But, the property owners weren’t amiable to the idea due to the limited amount of land they had available and how this living barrier would overtake much of it.

Militios pointed out that the site was basically creating an eyesore. “Who’s going to want to buy there? How are we going to be able to sell?” Miliotis said rhetorically. “It’s going to be a gigantic black-eye, eyesore, whatever you wanna call it. I mean, without a living barrier, it’s almost an adamant ‘no.’ It’s one of the nicer parts of Huntingburg, I think, and now we’re going to kinda destroy it with a solar farm.”

Frank Kimmel and his wife, Judy, moved out in the area for peace and quiet but had learned that the inverters used to transfer electricity to the grid could create a lot of noise. When Frank asked about the noise, Worl compared it to the sound of an air conditioning unit and stated it would only be heard during the day.

“You don’t know what it’s like out there. It’s total silence for miles,” Frank said. “That’s why we built out there to start with, because of the location and the quietness and all that. And now we’re going to hear a constant humming noise all the time?”

Worl pointed out that the site plan called the solar panels to be between the homes and the inverters. “That should dissipate that sound quite a bit,” Worl said pointing out that the inverters would likely not be heard from farther than 50 feet away.

Northview Drive resident Steve Beck voiced concerns that site was not really conducive for the park since it was near a residential area and offered no room for expansion. He asked Worl to look into farmland that would be more suitable.

Worl said they had looked at a lot of locations but preferred to use city-owned land that was unused. The site requires a level area with clear lines of sight to the sun and any available level farmland would likely come with a heavy price tag.

Worl told those present that IMPA is trying to do everything it can to appease the landowners but in the end, the fact the park would break up what has been a relatively unspoiled view is what had them upset.

Mayor Denny Spinner closed the public session as he opened it, with a reminder that this was just a step in the process. The planning commission, board of zoning appeals and ultimately, the common council had to approved the park before it could be built.

“There are three different boards that have to act on this and those are all in public meetings. All those will welcome comments and questions,” Spinner said. “This tonight was to hear your questions. And also to allow the members of those boards to hear the concerns that you have so they can make a good decision. That’s the process and that’s how government works.”

The plan commission will consider the plat proposal for the property during their March meeting at 7 p.m. on the March 23rd in the council chambers. The meeting is open to the public.

Worl also invited residents to contact him by email with their thoughts, concerns or questions.They can do so at DanW@impa.com.