The Elizabethtown City Council met for a work session Tuesday evening.
Representatives from Lightsource BP made themselves available for questions from council as the organization prepares to submit an annexation request from the city for 950 acres north of Hayden School Road near the Elizabethtown airport that would be used for a solar installation. Lightsource BP Director of Development Jack Steele said the property would be leased from the current landowners for 40 years. When asked why the company was asking the city to annex the property rather than going through county government, Steele said similar projects have run into difficulties, and the company feels like the project fits in with that part of the city.
“It really feels and makes a lot of sense for it to be in the city of E-Town,” Steele said. “There’s a lot of compatibility there. It offers an opportunity to act as a buffer to the airport and act as a transition zone from city industrial development out into more agricultural and residential uses.”
Steele said the project will generate $4 million in property taxes while also showing direct support for the community.
“It represents a significant infrastructure investment in grid resiliency and electric infrastructure in this local community that feeds the industrial park, homes here, and helps support a lot of the growth that I know you and others are invested in bringing into this community,” Steele said.
Later in the meeting, Trina Martin with Hardin County Citizens for Responsible Solar asked the council to take another look at what Lightsource BP has presented. Martin said in addition to an increased fire hazard, she had concerns with the appraisals the company has presented, which she said has been seen in other solar proposals.
“There will be an impact on property values, and their report, if you look at it closely, compares apples and oranges,” Martin said. “You can’t compare a four bedroom, three bathroom house, and determine a value by using a two bedroom, one bathroom house.”
Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said the council would take Lightsource BP’s proposal under advisement.
In other meeting news, City Engineer Michael Page said most of the sidewalk improvements on the North Main Street project are complete, but the city has identified additional improvements such as to retaining walls, so the city will be requesting a project cost increase from the current total of $487,000 to a total not to exceed $620,000. City Stormwater Director Rita Davis said she will be asking the council to approve a bid from Dirt Works Unlimited for a project to correct erosion on Keeneland Drive. Davis said the bid is more than $300,000 under the engineering estimate for the project.
The Elizabethtown City Council will next meet November 18.
