Prairie Township trustee and residents raise concerns about Woodbury Solar petitions ahead of Wednesday meeting

A Prairie Township trustee told the Morrow County commissioners on Wednesday that local residents are organizing to share information and concerns about a proposed Woodbury Solar project and that a community meeting on the matter is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Community Service Center.

Mark, who identified himself as a Prairie Township trustee, said residents set up a citizens’ committee and a Facebook page to share information and collect signatures. “There is no legal document to those petitions. Alright? I'm gonna state that right up,” Mark told the commissioners, saying the online petition was open for about two weeks and accepted signatures from people across the county.

Multiple speakers in the public‑comment period said they had encountered door‑to‑door petitioning by representatives of the solar developer. One resident said petitions circulated outside the immediate township and that organizers created a local paper petition to balance outreach efforts from the company. A Mansfield Senior agriculture teacher asked permission to bring 12 students to the Wednesday meeting as a learning experience and said the meeting location can accommodate about 70–75 chairs plus standing room.

Why it matters: the remarks came during public comment ahead of a scheduled community session on the project, and residents said they want reliable, local information and clearer public notice about developer outreach and petitions.

What commissioners said: commissioners acknowledged receipt of the petitions and that a more extensive meeting on the topic will occur on Wednesday at the Community Service Center conference room at 9 a.m. No formal county action on the solar project was taken at Wednesday’s meeting.

Ending: Residents and township officials said they will continue local outreach and urged residents to attend Wednesday’s meeting to hear presentations and ask questions.