July 7, 2019 1:15p
(WGTD)---A host of issues is holding up construction of a 1,400-acre solar farm in Paris.
But John Holloway, chairman of the Kenosha County town, says as far as he knows the project is far from dead. "What the company shared with me is they feel this location has very strong dynamics for them," Holloway said.
The company--Invenergy--plans to continue spending money to work through the problems in hopes of being able to file a formal application with this state Public Service Commission this fall, he said.
The primary concerns have to do with environmental corridors, wetlands, archeologically significant areas and drainage.
Holloway says the hundreds of panel-supporting steel poles that would need to be driven into the ground could destroy drainage tiles and lead to flooding.
In addition, the area in question is where the bones of the Kenosha Public Museum's famous mammoths were dug up and where some Indian burial grounds may exist.
For now, officials at Invenergy aren’t talking. They’ve put off an appearance on WGTD’s "Community Matters" program until this fall, about the time that the firm plans to submit a formal application.
Representatives from the town, county and state are continuing to monitor the company’s progress.
Holloway says the landowners who stand to gain revenue from the project are still enthusiastic while some other residents are concerned about the esthetics and the impact the project would have on their property. Holloway says some of those concerns could be worked out through negotiation.
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