SunEdison Shelves Two of Three Solar Farm Proposals

Wilma Kenny | Jun 24, 2015

As the first of 11 listed delegations relating to solar projects, Utilia Amaral of SunEdison said her company was not planning to proceed with the Groenewegen and Freeman Road projects at this time. She attributed this decision to the high degree of concern at last week’s community meeting about the connection lines from these projects running through heavily populated areas. She said her company would look at alternate routes, in the hope of submitting these projects at a later date.

Amaral went on to address other concerns, including impacts on property values, visual buffering and noise during installation. In regard to stray voltage, she said SunEdison was prepared to fund an independent engineer appointed by the community, who would establish baseline levels and investigate any concerns about stray voltage that might be identified, “providing resolution if related to the project.” She also described how the company planned to address issues related to environment, endangered species, groundwater/wells monitoring and future decommissioning of the facility.

Councilors Revill and Sutherland asked about buffer plantings, and were told that the Ministry of Environment required that all buffer plantings should reach 90% of capacity growth in five years. Amaral said a landscaping firm would be contracted to provide maintenance of buffer plantings and all on site growth, including grass cutting. Sutherland asked if there was any likelihood of shared use, such as grazing sheep or goats, or bee-friendly plants. Amaral said that plantings to attract honey bees and other pollinators would be a possibility. However although grazing animals are used in some countries, provisions for this are not in place in Ontario.

Of the remaining delegations, seven were speaking in particular reference to the Groenewegen proposal and two to the Freeman one. They questioned the management of other SunEdison projects in the Kingston area, said that all the profits would be going to the US, raised the issues of stray voltage, threats to wildlife, and damage to property values. They asked what benefit the South Frontenac would gain from solar farms. Mayor Vandewal said that Council was still in negotiations with SunEdison as to amounts, but there would be an up-front payment to the township, and “annual contributions.”

One delegate, former Bedford Councillor David Hahn, spoke in support of solar power. He said he had a small solar project on his own property, and was a member of a 150-member green energy cooperative which invests in solar projects. He said the world was shifting to renewable power: that in the past year, more solar and wind projects had been developed than any other power sources, such as nuclear or coal. He also pointed out that solar power had the advantage of being most available at times of peak use, especially in the summer when air conditioners are in use.

CAO Orr said that six or seven letters addressing solar issues had arrived too late to be included in this agenda, so would be brought forward next meeting.

New Solar Proposal for Storrington Area

Jeff Allan and Greg Rossetti came on behalf of Bondfield Construction with a new project proposal, this one south of Battersea, covering a 300-acre site. They emphasized that theirs is a wholly Ontario company, and they already have elicited very positive responses from abutting landowners. They are planning a community meeting soon.

(In order to accommodate the unusually large number of delegations, Council met at 6:00 to deal first with the following items of business.)

Parking Restrictions and a One-way Street for Sydenham?

Public Works Manager Segsworth is scheduling an open house at the municipal hall, Sydenham, on July 28, 7:00-9:00. Residents can view maps of proposed parking changes, and get information about making Cross Street a one-way street.

Hartington Brownfield Cleanup

Segsworth said the cleanup of the corner site in Hartington has been completed for $137,000: this leaves enough remaining in the budget to cover installation of monitoring wells. No mention was made of the (reported by a resident) dispersion of rats into the neighbourhood, when the building was torn down.

New Scales at Portland Waste Site

The scales are on site, and will go into operation July 15: from then on, all waste brought to the Portland waste site will be charged by weight.

Banners will be used to notify residents of the change. “We will have some hiccups: everything associated with solid waste seems to be complicated,” said Segsworth.

Reconfiguration of Intersections

“Historically, one can drive from Hartington to Holleford without stopping,” said Segsworth, “For experienced locals this is no problem, but newcomers don’t always realize one should yield at Vanluven and Trousdale Roads.” He showed maps of these intersections and another in Storrington that he is recommending for reconfiguration as soon as possible.

Appreciation of First Responders

Mayor Vandewal expressed deep thanks on behalf of Council to the fire department’s first responders who were on hand during the recent highway tragedy near Spaffordton.