Town board raises route, road‑damage concerns as Hemlock Ridge solar project nears construction

The Shelby Town Board said construction on the Hemlock Ridge solar project is likely to begin in mid‑October and that the town has hired an engineering firm, paid from developer escrow, to monitor compliance and road impacts.

Chair read a project update and told residents Shelby holds “about 18% of that project” and that the development is “solar only.” He said contractors finally provided proposed ingress and egress routes and that the town and neighboring Barry raised objections because the routes would send large trucks down narrow local roads. “It's hard to believe that any of them with the company has ever driven that road in a truck,” the chair said, describing the concerns about Fletcher Chapel and East Shelby Road.

The board signed a contract with an engineering firm to act as the town’s point agency for compliance monitoring; the chair said the contract will be paid from escrow funds and “will cost us nothing” from the town budget. The firm is expected to monitor road conditions and work with town staff on damage claims and responses as construction begins.

The town said it will meet again with the developer and the engineering monitor to discuss specific route maps and to seek changes that limit heavy traffic on local streets. Residents in East Shelby were urged to monitor the first large truck movements and to report any road damage to the town for follow‑up with the escrowed monitoring funds.