City council postpones solar farm talk, discusses City Hall sign

By Kayleigh Rahn and William Rahn
The Tuscola City Council, during its meeting Monday, July 23, discussed options for replacing the sign in front of city hall.

The discussion on the special use permit request regarding a proposed solar facility on the west side of Egyptian Trail was postponed until the planning commission gives its report at a later meeting.

“We are not ready to discuss that yet this evening; we will table that until we receive the report from the planning commission,” Mayor Dan Kleiss reported.

On Thursday, July 19, the planning commission met to hear a proposal from Cypress Creek Renewables regarding the proposed 2-megawatt Southline Solar Farm slated to be located at 1298 Egyptian Trail. The company addressed the details of the solar panel site, property value concerns, vegetation around the farm site, and location specifics among other items.

Following the CCR presentation, several residents voiced concerns regarding run off, proximity to nearby neighborhoods, farmland use and aesthetic. Resident Angela Hawkins submitted a petition including 29 signatures from residents who opposed the solar farm.

The commission voted to recommend to the city council the facility not be approved. Committee member Jerry Reynolds was the lone vote in favor of the application approval.

In other business, Council member Dave Slaughter gave the mayor a contact in Charleston who may be able to design the new sign.

“We are constantly pointing to the stars here, and this community has always pointed up, and I think it looks pretty cool,” Kleiss said regarding the idea to keep much of the existing structure in place and updating the look with new features.

The full story can be found in the Wednesday, July 25 edition of The Tuscola Journal.