Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents ask Pleasantville to file neutral comments with Ohio siting board over nearby solar project
Summary
Public commenters told Pleasantville council the nearby Eastern Cottontail solar project could affect wells, drainage and farmland; residents asked the village to submit a neutral, technical letter to the Ohio Power Siting Board emphasizing well protection and drainage, and council signaled it will prepare a non‑partisan comment focusing on those concerns.
At the start of the council’s public‑input period on Oct. 10, residents raised concerns about the Eastern Cottontail solar project application before the Ohio Power Siting Board and asked the village to submit a neutral comment letter that emphasizes local technical concerns.
One resident identified herself as Betty Bennett and told council she lives along State Route 256 “right across from the project” and said homes in the application are within about 200 feet of the planned arrays. Bennett urged the village to focus any comment on protecting drinking wells, drainage and soils and on ensuring that future development and drainage systems are not impaired.
A second commenter (recorded in the transcript as Sheriff Heimer) left a copy of a filing for council members and supplied maps of the proposed project area, noting the application materials the village could rely on when preparing comments to the siting board.
Councilors and staff said the village’s current position is to remain neutral on the project’s merits while making clear technical requests to protect wells, streams and existing drainage. The speakers asked staff to draft a letter focused on the village’s stated technical concerns and to file it with the siting board; council did not vote on taking a pro or con position at the Oct. 10 meeting.
Why it matters: The siting decision is regulated at the state level, but local drainage and groundwater concerns fall within the substantive record the siting board considers; a focused local letter can highlight specific, local hydrology and well‑protection issues for the state reviewer.
What’s next: Staff will draft a letter for council review and consider maps and application pages provided by residents when preparing the village submission to the Ohio Power Siting Board.
