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Council sets May 20 hearing on OPALCO solar lease for Decatur Island after staff, co-op presentations
Summary
After hearing a proposal from OPALCO and staff, the council set a public hearing for May 20 to consider a direct lease with the cooperative to site a solar installation on county property on Decatur Island and asked for additional community outreach and draft lease language.
The San Juan County Council set a May 20 public hearing to consider a direct lease with OPALCO for county-owned land on Decatur Island to host a solar array and microgrid component. Public Works staff presented the proposal and Foster Hildreth, representing OPALCO, described the co-op’s low-income solar program and the potential benefits to the utility’s members.
Public-works staff (Colin Hunter Moore) said the county owns a five-acre parcel on Decatur that adjoins the site of an OPALCO microgrid installed in 2018. OPALCO seeks a lease for roughly three acres to support an expansion tied to a low-income solar grant and a roughly 25-year operational term. Moore requested council support to declare the full five-acre parcel available so the county retains flexibility for public-works needs and asked that the lease require clearing, grading and reserve a well-protection buffer in case a future potable well is needed for firefighting or infrastructure.
Foster Hildreth told the council OPALCO’s grant would generate ongoing benefits for low-income cooperative members and estimated the installation could support roughly 2–40 low-income households annually through the low-income solar program. Hildreth said OPALCO had limited time to meet grant deadlines but welcomed additional community outreach.
Why it matters: The lease would put a long-term renewable-energy installation on county land and could provide low-income utility benefits to island residents. Council members emphasized the need for robust community engagement on Decatur — particularly about vegetation clearing, fire risk mitigation and aesthetics — and asked staff to coordinate follow-up meetings with Decatur residents.
Next steps: Council set a public hearing for May 20 at 9:15 a.m. Staff and the county prosecutor will draft lease language and expected terms and gather additional input from Decatur residents and from Department of Community Development about permitting and timelines.
