Board hears details of Hecate solar easement and sets hearing for Arcola Towers tower permit

County staff briefed the board on a proposed easement that would connect the previously approved Hecate solar project to the Dominion substation. The easement would run across county property at Samuels Drive (the parcel containing the Hamlet transfer station and park) and is approximately 80 feet wide and about 90 feet long for a total of roughly 1.65 acres. Staff said the agreement includes an option-payment structure: an overall figure described as a $78,400 'grama option' and an option payment listed as $55,000 (both increases from the initially negotiated amounts). The initial option payment is $10,000 due within 45 days of executing the agreement; option-payment amounts are described as approximately $10,000 per year in years 2–4 and $5,000 in years 5–7, and the option period would expire 04/30/2030.

Staff noted the easement language allows limited county uses for agriculture and timbering revenue and requires Samuel's Drive to be maintained and restored after easement work is completed. The applicant said private landowners in the corridor are participating and that the county easement provides the necessary 'bridge' to the distribution side of the project. A supervisor whose district includes Samuel's Drive expressed concern about the road's existing condition and moved to approve the easement on the condition that lease or sale proceeds be earmarked for Samuel's Drive repairs. Separately, staff identified a conditional-use permit application (CUP 25-03) for a 199-foot telecommunications tower called Arcola Towers on property owned by Wayne Jamerson on Trent Mill Road and asked the board to set a public hearing for Feb. 10, 2026; the planning commission held a public hearing Nov. 17, 2025 and recommended approval.