ALEXIS, Ill. — A proposed solar farm in Mercer County is getting pushback from some residents.
On Oct. 26, the Mercer County zoning commission met with community members to discuss the project. The solar farm would be built on land in Alexis, Illinois, about a half-hour southeast of Aledo.
Birch Creek Energy wants to build the farm and connect it to Ameren's power system. However, some residents said they're concerned about the loss of farmland. One neighbor said she'd promised the previous owners of her property to preserve the beauty of their land, and she worried that a new solar farm would damage that.
"We're being asked to accept this plan with very little respect for our rights. This is a feeling of loss, as if we were losing a family member, but our grief is because we're losing our home as we know it," meeting attendee Renee Tadie said.
Members of Birch Creek's staff were at the meeting to address concerns like Tadie's. Officials said the solar panels wouldn't create noise or storm water issues for neighbors or impact their property values.
"If we run for the 40-year lease term, that would total over $9 million in tax dollars. The school district would receive the lion's share, as you know. That would be 54, 55% percent of that $9 million," Scott Novack, Birch Creek's director of Greenfield development, said.
The zoning commission is considering a "land use request" which would let Birch Creek continue the design work. The commission will continue discussions at their next meeting on Nov. 30, where they will vote on that request.
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