A group of concerned community members met Sunday night to discuss updates coming from the Birch Solar Project.
A group called “Against Birch Solar” met at Winona Lake and invited other people in the area to learn more about the proposed project. They talked about the status of the project at the Ohio Power Siting Board, and the new legislation about renewable energy projects.
Amongst the group at the meeting was Mark Wellman, owner of Winona Lake. He says he’s not against renewable energy but believes that Lightsource BP is not following best practices.
“This particular project is coming right up against our property," says Wellman. "It’s within 70ft., the panels are within 70ft. from the facility, and that’s, in my opinion, way too close. We have a lot of flooding issues already that are happening, so I have a personal issue with it.”
He shows pictures of the flooding that the land next to his property already experiences and compares it to the flooding of the solar field in Hardin County. He says he has expressed his concerns with Lightsource BP and has not gotten a response back.
