The township ordinance allows for CAFOs in the agriculture-conservation district.

By conditional use, a hearing must be held about this plan. On the solar project, the ordinance does not regulate solar so it is a use not provided for and must have a hearing.

Nate Bollinger, spoke on behalf of Bollinger Solar, the developer and applicant for the property located on Clarkstown Road.

Cody Snyder, 27, represented Ag Ventures, the company planning daily operation of the chicken coops, provided testimony that updated the amount of coops to five not six that was in the earlier proposal.

Members of the public look over the plans for a hybrid solar and chicken farm during a conditional use hearing held by the Muncy Creek Township Supervisors at the Muncy Area Volunteer Fire Company. The public meeting was about the proposed chicken/solar farm at Clarkstown Road in Muncy. The chicken farm will house about 250,000 chickens total in the 5 barns at the facility. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The chicken coops will be owned or held in a joint venture between the Bollinger, of Lititiz, who have formed a joint venture with Ag Ventures — which together are known as Sunny Side Up Farms LLC., according to Zachary DuGan, of Percibelli & Williams LLC., the attorney representing the residential group opposing this joint venture known as Muncy Area Neighborhood Preservation Coalition.

Ag Ventures is owned by Coleman Wagner. They are setting up the Sunny Side Up Farms, which will be the parent company for 13 additional LLCs, with an unknown number of owners.

The coalition consists of between 35 to 150 members, most of whom are residents who live within a half mile or less of the property, DuGan said.

DuGan said he deals directly with contacts for the coalition, namely Mike and Karla Shipman.

These individuals and other adjacent homeowners have created colorful signs that express their opposition to the joint venture, with a large sign positioned at the entrance to the fire station in the parking lot Wednesday night.

Purpose of the hearing

The crowd was sitting and standing in the fire engine bay, as the residents listened to the hearings presented on the application of Bollinger Solar, LLC for the property, which lies in residential and agriculture-conservation districts.

The proposal is to seek conditional use for the chicken coops and associated access drives and a commercial solar farm and associated access drives.

The hearing on the coops was first from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and the solar application conditional use hearing followed, with both hearings continuing to 6 to 9 p.m. on April 24 at the same location. The hearings provided time for the proponents to describe their projects and to answer cross-examination and clarification questions.

The audience, however, largely, listened and was told there will be time for additional testimony and public input, something that John Keene, a member of the coalition, said he was looking forward to giving.

A project of this size and scope, obviously, has drawn opposition but also many residents who just want to hear for themselves the details. Keene said he was hoping to be able to testify at the upcoming hearing or any other hearing if that one also needs to be continued.

Ag Ventures spokesman testifies

Snyder went into detail in testimony regarding the chicken coops with questions from Attorney Samuel E. Wiser Jr. of Salzmann Hughes PC, Chambersburg, the attorney for the applicant. And Snyder also answered cross-examination questions by DuGan and clarification questions by Michael Wiley, attorney and solicitor for the township.

These would be barns 88 feet wide by 616 feet in length and the chickens would be free range, Snyder said.

He added that it is “a more humane way to raise poultry at scale.”

He said the business will have a manure management and odor mitigation plan. Odor management is part of the nutrient management plan, DuGan said.

“I’m not going to sit here and tell you the barns never smell,” Snyder said, a statement that caused a rumble heard by those listening.

But, he noted, the business would follow a nutrient management plan under strict state cited regulations. The proposed plan indicates 100 % export of the excrement, using a certified manure broker to transfer the material off-site, he said.

The barns will have manure scrapers and the manure will be stored in a concrete structure — not open to air — and excrement removed in the spring and fall, he said.

The manure also will be regularly tested to ensure the proper nutrients are adequate to be put on agriculture fields – none of which, according to testimony, will be put on local fields, and will be in the concrete reinforced storage container that will not be located in the floodway, Snyder said.

There also will be an odor management plan to cut down on smell and the business will use best management practices (BMPs), using modern state-of-the-art technology like fans on either end of the coop, which heats the air and keeps the manure dry, he explained.

There is a method planned to clean up spills and to control dust, disinfecting and washing down the interior. The compliance of the odor plan will be monitored by the county Conservation District, Snyder said. As for the eggs and conditions of the poultry coops, eggs will be collected on a conveyor with the nests on either side of the belt.

“The birds will be kept comfortable,” he said. The fans suck the air through and point downward to control dust getting into the air. Exhaust fans are on either end of the barns, he said.

Asked if there would be any opportunity for birds to go outside of the coops, Snyder said they could as they are free range, which, he said, pairs nicely with the solar panels.

The chickens (hens) could graze under the panels but he noted they tend to want to remain in the barns, hopping and flying about 2 to 3 feet at a time, on average.

There also are times when the flock turns over.

Poultry need to drink water and the need is estimated to be 3,500 gallons of water per barn, per day. It is estimated there would be an increase in truck traffic on the road, including those bringing feed and those removing eggs, poultry and manure. The estimate given at the meeting was about 1,290 semi-tractor trailers on the road annually.

There would be a loading and unloading area for the trucks and a turning radius sufficient into the site, which also would accommodate emergency services, such as fire trucks. Trash storage will be on site with a Dumpster. Compatibility questions regarding the agriculture and residential districts were reviewed.

Snyder said he had some experience living near a concentrated animal feeding operation in his home in Lancaster County, where his front door is 55 yards from two turkey barns. He said his wife of six years and their 7-month-old daughter enjoy this kind of living and area of the Commonwealth.

In terms of property values, a question arose when he was cross-examined by DuGan as not being a real estate expert. Snyder said when he purchased his home in 2018 he paid $180,000. It has since been reappraised with a value of $320,000. Snyder noted homes in that county are selling for “astronomical prices.”

To a question regarding avian flu and biohazards, the plan includes a precaution to prevent or mitigate disease with wash down areas at the entrances and exits to the barns and foot baths for anyone entering to mitigate and follow biosecurity measures. No unauthorized personnel will be permitted on site, he testified.

As for exterior lighting, there will be lights and they will be tilted downward and shielded.

DuGan asked if there would be a fire suppression system, or sprinklers, which it does not. There also will be a generator on site should the power go out.

Wiley followed up with some questions of clarification regarding manure, daily mortality of the poultry, safeguards regarding flock rotation and fencing.

The solar panel hearing testimony was done primarily by Bollinger.

He noted the township has approved two solar panel farms in agricultural districts and one in a residential district. This proposed solar array, he said, would consist of 13 separate 3.105 megawatt projects. These would be “fixed tilt,” with anti-glare technology and “string” inverters.

A 7-foot-tall fence will be constructed and allow free movement for small mammals. An annual inspection would include visual flight by using a drone and thermal imaging to determine if there are any “hot spots,” he said. Also, a solar service team will monitor the site. Bollinger has applied for interconnection with PPL, he said.

To a question of lifespan, he said, the solar modules typically last 35 to 45 years, inverters about 17 to 20, and replacement would likely be in year 18. This is low voltage and the responsibility to maintain the transfer is with the utility, he explained.

Asked about what happens when the lifespan is over, there are two options: Remove the system and return the ground to the original condition or replace it with more solar panels.

“It is a passive use of the land,” Bollinger said.

There will be no sound emitted and there will be a plan coordinated with the local emergency services for access in event of a fire. The plan indicates use of natural existing vegetative buffers and additional plantings that will help to block the view of the solar array. Additionally, the panels will be anti-glare.

The 13 separate projects will be interconnected to the PPL power grid, Bollinger said.

To a question of ownership, Bollinger Solar does not own any of the assets, Bollinger said.

“We won’t own … we are developing the site for Sunny Side Up Farms LLC, which owns the site long term,” Bollinger said.

To add clarity on ownership and parties involved moving forward, Wiley asked Bollinger if there could be a venture agreement provided for the record.

Once the hearings are over and the record is closed, the supervisors intend to make a decision to either grant, deny or grant with conditions. Each of the projects is a separate condition.

There may be various outcomes decided on these conditional use requests before any steps forward toward land development and further permitting. One thing is certain, every resident — whether they belong to the coalition or not — will be able to offer their comments that will be a part of the record, those familiar with the hearings told the Sun-Gazette.