Samsung presses on with solar farm plan after Washington Township trustees vote to oppose

WASHINGTON TWP. − Samsung C&T is proceeding with its plans to seek state approval of its proposed solar farm despite the township trustees' recent opposition to the project.

"We plan to submit the application to the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) at the end of February," Samsung C&T's development Manager Chris Simmons wrote in an email.

Township trustees earlier this month came out with a resolution opposing the solar farm.

Trustees Merritt Boyce and Randy Rodgers voted for the resolution.

Trustee Wayne Wallace abstained. He said he too opposed the solar farm but felt the board should have waited for Samsung to submit its application to the state to give it more time to respond and articulate the reasoning behind for opposition.

Boyce and Rodgers said they wanted to make it official quickly that they were backing residents who live by the site, most of whom don't want the view of solar panels from their homes.

Related: Samsung C&T plans $200 million investment in solar farm project in Washington Township

The trustees have declined to discuss their personal opinions about whether the solar farm should be permitted. But they say enough residents who live around the proposed site have expressed concerns so they feel it's their duty to officially oppose it as well.

“The residents around it are against it," said Wallace. "They’re the ones I feel we have to support. ... No one by it has stated they’re for it."

Boyce said, "I felt like we had to support the public. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from the public and the people living around it. ... We’ve gotten a lot of feedback that they don't want it.”

Rodgers said residents have expressed concerns about the solar panels being eyesores and about environmental impact.

Related: Samsung C&T plans to seek state permit for Washington Township solar farm soon

Samsung's campaign to build a solar farm near Alliance

Samsung C&T, which is planning the 150-megawatt solar farm through its subsidiary Stark Solar, held an initial public meeting at Washington Elementary School in December 2021. The company later hosted public meetings in November and December last year to start the process to file its application with the Ohio Power Siting Board.

Related: Solar farm in Washington Township envisioned for 2024

At the November 2023 meeting, Samsung representatives said the solar farm would be on properties totaling 860 acres leased for 30 years from five property owners. The solar panels amid wetlands would be installed north of Louisville Street NE, northwest of Beechwood Avenue NE, west of Hartzell Avenue NE and north and south of Canfield Street NE.

Tony Wasik, 70, is one of four township residents who spoke against the effort at the trustees' meeting Feb. 5.

Wasik, in a later interview, said he has an 80-acre farm that adjoins one of the leased properties where the solar panels would be built.

Stressing that he's speaking only for himself, he expressed concern the solar panels would spoil his view, diminish the value of his property, disrupt the flow of water runoff, cause flooding or emit an annoying hum.

"You work all your life to obtain what you have and then you have a junkyard of panels next door that are unsightly," Wasik said. "This does nothing for the people surrounding the solar facility.”

Wasik said he has yet to hear any details from Stark Solar's plan if the panels, substation or inverters were to catch fire. And he said Stark Solar representatives did not sufficiently address his concerns at a public meeting.

“The answers they gave us didn’t give us any feeling of security that they were going to be able to address all the fears we have," he said.

Samsung C&T responds to Stark Solar plans

In an email response, Samsung's Simmons wrote that his company works hard to address individuals' concerns.

"Numerous studies have shown that utility-scale solar facilities sited in rural areas have found no negative impacts on surrounding property values – and in some cases, there has been a positive impact," he wrote.

"The risk of fire in a large-scale solar project is incredibly low. The low risk is further mitigated by the project’s fire detection sensor system and safety and security plan, as well as our commitment to working with local fire and EMS department ...," he continued.

Simmons added that the company will provide the Ohio Power Siting Board an assessment that shows storm water runoff won't increase flooding or pollute nearby waterways.

He cited the company's website, which says the company would plant native plants to help control erosion. A study has shown that sound from the equipment won't exceed state limits beyond the boundary of the leased property. And the solar panels have to pass state-mandated toxicity tests.

Simmons wrote, "We are proud to work with the community and neighbors to bring the economic benefits of Stark Solar to the county. Stark Solar will create jobs, generate decades of significant, guaranteed revenue for schools and other local services, help protect farmland for future generations, and use clean, Ohio-made energy to contribute to energy independence."

What's next for the Stark Solar project?

In the verbal resolution, township trustees asked the Stark County Prosecutor's Office to draft a written resolution. And they voted to send the resolution to the Ohio Power Siting Board and Stark County commissioners.

The board's approval is required before the solar farm can be constructed.

Samsung C&T said it completed initial steps to apply to connect the solar farm to the multi-state PJM Interconnection electric grid, exempting it from Senate Bill 52, which the Ohio General Assembly approved in 2021, allowing county commissioners to veto the construction of a solar farm in their county.

However, Samsung C&T has not yet filed its application to build the solar farm to the Ohio Power Siting Board. So Senate Bill 52 gave these local officials or their designees ad hoc votes on the board, in addition to the board's seven voting members, to vote on Samsung's application. The officials are the president of the Stark County Board Commissioners, which is Janet Weir Creighton, and the president of the Washington Township Board of Trustees, which is Wallace.

Six of the Ohio Power Siting Board voting members are the head of six state agencies, all appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine.

By law, once Samsung files an application for a solar farm with the Ohio Power Siting Board, the board would have to schedule a public hearing, likely months before it voted on whether to approve the application.

Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. X (formerly Twitter): @rwangREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Samsung to apply for approval of solar farm Washington Twp opposes