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Shasta Power community engagement staff urges residents to complete county survey on proposed Crawford County solar farm
Summary
During public input at the April 22 Pittsburg Commission meeting, Melissa Rhodes, community engagement lead for Shasta Power, asked residents to respond to a county moratorium survey about a proposed utility-scale solar project, citing a $500–$700 million investment, a two‑year build and 200–250 construction jobs.
Melissa Rhodes, a community engagement representative for Shasta Power, used the commission’s public‑input period on April 22 to ask Pittsburg residents to complete a comprehensive survey tied to a Crawford County moratorium on utility‑scale solar permits. Rhodes said the company’s proposed solar farm would be a “$500 to $700 million investment” with an anticipated two‑year construction period and an estimated 200 to 250 workers employed during the build.
Rhodes said the county had issued a moratorium while a comprehensive survey is completed; she told the commission and attendees the survey had received about 600 responses to date and encouraged additional responses so the permitting process could proceed. “We are sitting right now in a county issued moratorium until the comprehensive survey is complete,” she said during public comment.
Rhodes also said she has launched the Southeast Kansas Rural Development Association, an economic nonprofit, and invited commissioners and staff to a private tour of Washington School, a childcare center, at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. She told the commission she expects to return to request a letter of support for a grant application to repair the Books Building roof and related work.
No formal commission action occurred on the solar project during the meeting; Rhodes’ remarks were recorded under public input. City or county staff did not provide additional detail on the moratorium or timeline during the public‑comment period.
