Calhoun County approves road‑use agreement with Maple Run Solar for Lee Township haul route

The Calhoun County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 20 approved a road‑use agreement with Maple Run Solar that county staff said will fund repairs and protections for haul routes in Lee Township.

County road staff told the board the agreement provides about $2,000,000 for preconstruction work to prepare haul routes and approximately $6,000,000 held for post‑construction restoration. Doug, a county road department representative, said the agreement includes timing and performance protections: "We have 1 full year, 1 full construction season, after the project is complete to do that work that's in the appendix and post construction," he said. The agreement also includes a contingency fund to address emergency or unforeseen damage during construction.

County administrator/controller Scott and road department managing director Christine Parsons described the contract as designed to protect taxpayers and townships from bearing restoration costs. Parsons said the county followed evolving best practices and coordinated with Lee Township and engineers on pre‑ and post‑construction work. She told commissioners the arrangement was negotiated to reduce the township's financial burden under current local policy, which typically requires 50% from an outside source for local road costs.

Commissioners asked whether the board was approving the solar installation itself; staff clarified the item before the board covers road use and restoration only, not land‑use approvals conducted by Lee Township. After questions about timing, contingency funds and oversight, the board moved to approve the agreement. The clerk called the roll; all present commissioners voted to approve the agreement and one commissioner was recorded as excused.

The board discussion indicated staff expects work to begin immediately if the agreement is executed. The road‑use agreement was presented as protecting county and township taxpayers by shifting construction‑related costs to the developer.

Votes and next steps: The motion to approve carried on a roll call vote called by the clerk. Staff said remaining implementation details and post‑construction obligations are documented in the agreement appendix.