Solar panels in countryside.

Faced with the prospect of having a solar farm literally next door to their homes, three Old Lycoming Township residents continue to speak out against what they see as an action which will ruin their neighborhood.

The project, Daughertys Run Road Solar 1 LLC, is being constructed by New Leaf Energy, of Lowell, Massachusetts, which is leasing the property at 916 Daughertys Run Road from Calvin Irvin, a resident of Hepburn Township.

The property consists of over 45 acres of undeveloped land which is basically surrounded on three sides by single family homes. There is a cell phone tower which occupies four acres adjacent to the area where the solar farm project is proposed, which leaves around 40 acres for the solar field. The project proposes using 20 acres of that 40.

Originally, according to Kathleen Caputo, a 48-year resident who lives next to the property and would have a direct line of sight to the project, New Leaf wanted to site the farm 125 feet from the foundation of her home.

When the proposal went before the Old Lycoming Township Planning Commission, they approved the solar farm with conditions. The one condition that New Leaf is appealing is that the setbacks would be 500 feet from the property line of adjacent properties with existing residential structures.

In their appeal, New Leaf’s lawyer contend that the township supervisors’ actions were “arbitrary, capricious, contrary to law, an abuse of discretion, and contrary to the action,” which should have been taken in light of the evidence presented at a hearing on the proposed solar farm.

As reported in the Sun-Gazette previously, the attorney argued that the “board erred when it imposed the condition because the condition is unreasonable.”

For the residents, there is nothing capricious or unreasonable about wanting the solar farm located farther than the 125 feet proposed by New Leaf from their properties. They fear loss of property value if the company triumphs in their appeal.

Caputo and her son Matt, who lives next door to his mother, cite the setback as their main contention, although they’re not happy with the noise generated by the solar panels.

“Noise is another thing. It’s a little tricky the way they described that too. You know, there’s noise coming out of these things,” said Matt Caputo.

Every panel has an inverter which makes noise equivalent to a refrigerator, they were told. The solar field is projected to have 8,000 panels.

“So I don’t know what 8,000 refrigerators sound like humming outside my house. In the summertime with the cooling fans, that’s never going away,” he said.

They also are not happy that their properties will have a view of the solar field once it is installed.

In all, there are 12 properties that are located on three sides of the site where the solar farm is seeking to locate. At a hearing on the project all but two homeowners testified against allowing the project, according to Kathleen Caputo.

The residents say that there is a precedent for the 500-foot setback which is the same that is used for an unconventional gas well in the state.

Kathleen Caputo also stated that in researching solar fields in other states, it is best practice for the projects to be located around 656 feet from existing structures.

The residents who were interviewed were also quick to note that the property is actually zoned residential/agricultural.

Marsha Forney, another resident of the area, is also concerned about how New Leaf is planning to access the property during the construction of the solar farm.

They propose to come in from Daugherty’s Run Road and use what she called a “small farm road” which she shares with Irvin, to reach the property. That road runs right by her house. Forney, too, has lived in the area for around 40 years.

“This little farm road that we share is 20 to 25 feet wide,” Forney explained, describing it as a wooded stretch of land where deer walk.

“So they want to take heavy equipment, 40,000 panels and all this stuff, up this little road,” she said.

Forney worries that the road will no longer be a farm road but will become a “construction road” creating problems with runoff, which would affect not only her property, but also other neighbors.

After seeking legal counsel, Forney learned that the only recourse she has is if her side of the road is damaged during the year and a half the construction is expected to take.

“If they damage that road in any way, shape or form, or send water my way, then I can file notice for cease and desist,” Forney stated.

“That’s sort of after the fact. It’s like, okay, well the damage is done,” she added.

Although the residents of the area understand that the property owner is leasing the land to New Leaf in order to make money, they feel they have a greater stake in the game.

“The problem is, it really affects our neighbors,” Forney said.

“We’re a small community…everyone’s concerned about how this is going to affect our neighborhood,” she added.

Both the Caputos and Forney stressed that the township residents support the conditions that Old Lycoming Township has placed on the solar farm proposal.