Town of Chenango residents voice opposition to solar farm project at public hearing

The Town of Chenango Planning Board held a special meeting in the Chenango Forks High School auditorium Monday night. 

There were multiple items on the agenda but the one that summoned a large community presence pertains to a proposed solar power farm in the town. 

The project is headed up by Cipriani Energy Group and, if approved, would be built in the vicinity of Morningside Heights, Chenango Shores, and near Hider Park. 

Many residents are in opposition to the solar farm and they voiced their opinions during a public hearing Monday evening. 

“This company wants to put a commercial enterprise inside a residential neighborhood and I find that appalling,” said one community member. 

Another resident asked: “If the town is so eager to put in a solar farm why can’t you look at some place else?”

Residents say they are concerned about the potential impacts the solar farm would have on water drainage and flooding, property values, and the residential neighborhoods during construction of the facility. 

“We’re not against solar, we’re against where it’s going to placed because of the water run-off,” said David Russin in an interview with Fox 40. “We have flooding problems up there now as it is.”

Ronald Brink told Fox 40: “It could affect your home values, drive them down. It’s going to be a nasty thing to live with for many months. There’s going to be trucks driving up and down our narrow streets, it’s going to be dusty and noisy.”

While the majority of the crowd was there to oppose the solar power project, there was at least one woman who shared her support.

“I lease solar panels. I have leased solar panels for the last 11 years,” the woman said. “It’s been the best financial decision we have ever made. From January to May, my NSEG bill came (and) it was $0.”

Monday night’s meeting was rescheduled from earlier in the month. The original meeting was set for early September but postponed due to capacity concerns at the Town Office Building after so many people showed up to voice their concerns about the solar farm. 

At the end of Monday’s meeting, the planning board announced there will be another public hearing about the issue at CFHS on Monday, October 27.