Craig Adair, vice president of development for Open Road Renewables, made a quick retreat from the Mount Vernon City Council the night of Monday, March 11 after council members unanimously passed a resolution in opposition to the Frasier Solar Project.
The resolution makes 16 such resolutions passed by local units of government, mostly townships, opposing industrial solar development including the 1,500 plus acre project, 100 acres of which is planned in Mount Vernon city limits.
“Council has concerns over these projects being developed in such close proximity to, and within the boundaries of, the City due to the changes in the visual landscape, reduction in agricultural land for less efficient uses, and the overall effect on tourism potential for the City of Mount Vernon,” Mount Vernon’s resolution reads.
The City Council fast-tracked the legislation suspending rules that would require three readings due to an upcoming Ohio Power Siting Board hearing to be held at Memorial Theater on April 4.
“The reason for the suspension is because of how soon the Ohio Power Siting Board will be meeting,” Council member Amber Keener, who brought the ordinance up for a vote and is running for County Treasurer in the March 19 primary, said. “I know that I have heard from some individuals that think this is too fast, but given that Frasier had been meeting with administration back in 2022, I think that this is plenty of time for council to make a decision.”
Following the vote, Knox County Commission candidate Barry Lester opined on the unanimous vote against industrial solar.
“I just think it shows that the citizens overwhelmingly do not want solar to take over our farm lands and it shows every time we have one of these meetings where resolutions passed,” Lester told the Mount Vernon News.
Lester said the vote was due to an organic movement in the country against industrial solar development.
“We just had grassroots meetings and emails, literature, phone calls that helped it,” he said.
Lester and Bob Phillips, who is running for the other Knox County Commission seat against minister Drenda Keesee and incumbent Thom Collier, have been speaking with the county’s township officials in opposition of industrial solar development in the county.
Phillips was present at the meeting but did not address the council.
Keesee did address the City Council, noting, “Everyone I’ve been speaking with, restaurants, everywhere say they do not want this here."
Prior to the vote, Adair made an appeal to council members noting the appearance was his first time speaking at a city council meeting, despite engaging for two years with the city administration.
“I apologize this is the first time we're meeting,” Adair told the council. “We’ve had several meetings with city staff over the last year and a half, going back to July of 2022.”
Adair complained of “fear mongering” amid widespread, vocal opposition from across the county.
Jared Yost, co-founder of Knox Smart Development, noted the amount Mount Vernon is to receive in taxes from the project is a pittance to what they would receive if the land were developed for homes or commercial purposes.
“How much more taxes would that bring to the city versus just the solar panels?” he asked.
Yost noted the tax revenue the City of Mount Vernon would only receive upwards of $2,800 per year in tax revenue from the Frasier Solar Project. That would only be $114,000 over the anticipated 40-year lifespan of the development.
“It would be easy to just use this and create a lot more tax money out of a manufacturing facility, homes, anything,” Yost said.
Those sentiments echo that of Ohio Township Association Executive Director Heidi Fought, who raised concerns about the unequal distribution of revenue from solar projects between counties and townships.
“Those township roads are directly impacted,” Fought told Mount Vernon News last week. “Those township services are directly impacted. Those township property values are directly impacted. Yet the county gets to collect and keep the per megawatt fee.”
The meeting was near capacity with 61 attendees. While those speaking on the night included solar proponents and opponents, it was the latter who received applause after delivering their remarks.
“I'm calling on you to do your due diligence, make a good decision tonight to choose to steward not just farmland, but the opportunity for growth, the opportunity for housing that this community needs,” Ben Dean, a resident of Sharp Road, said.
Jackie Mann, who described herself as an environmentalist and naturalist who generates part of her home’s energy needs through solar panels, made an appeal to the council to preserve the natural landscape.
“They're ugly,” Mann said. “They destroy the beauty of the land.”
Adair was joined by other industrial solar proponents such as shepherds Katie and Brad Caruthers, who have a financial interest in the project as they would be allowed to graze sheep under the solar arrays.
Editor's note: Drenda Keesee's occupation has been updated in this draft of the story.
