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Discussion about two proposed solar farms in North Annville Township highlighted the supervisors’ meeting Monday.
North Annville Township supervisors announced Lebanon Valley College officials will present their plans for a solar farm at the municipality’s next planning commission meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, at Union Water Works Fire Company, 2875 Union Water Works Way.
In a separate discussion item, an update on Lebanon Solar I LLC’s solar farm proposal for arrays on 858 acres in the township was also presented.
LebTown reported mid-August that Lebanon Valley College is exploring a 10-acre solar project for 111 acres the college owns off Kreiderheim Lane.
Read More: LVC explores 10-acre solar project off Kreiderheim Lane in N. Annville Twp.
Supervisor Adam Wolfe told LebTown after the meeting that college officials will present their plan and get feedback from planning commission members. No action will be taken at that meeting on the proposal.
Regarding the Lebanon Solar I solar farm project, township solicitor Paul Bametzreider said Lebanon Solar I filed a brief with the courts on Aug. 26 and that the township is preparing its response brief, which is due to be filed in state appeals court by Sept. 25.
“We’re working on that at this point, so the briefs are being filed and the courts have not scheduled any kind of argument date yet,” said Bametzreider.
In response to a question from the audience about the date for a court hearing, Bametzreider explained there is a process, adding that once the township files its brief, Lebanon Solar I has 30 days to file a response brief.
“We then have a bunch of time to file a response brief to their response brief, and then the court will schedule an argument,” he said. “The argument probably won’t happen until sometime next year and once they make a decision it will be well into the new year before they make that decision.”
Read More: Fight over proposed North Annville solar farm moves to state appeals court
The resident suggested the township should “drag their feet” as long as possible in filing their response briefs. Bametzreider assured him that’s what will happen.
LebTown had reported in mid-March that a nearly three-year-old legal battle over the proposed solar power farm was moving to the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, a statewide court that decides appeals involving governmental units.
In January, Lebanon County Common Pleas Court Judge Bradford Charles denied developer Lebanon Solar I LLC’s application for a conditional-use approval under the township’s zoning ordinance. Lebanon Solar I is a subsidiary of Enel Green Power, a multinational renewable energy company.
A conditional use is approved under a zoning ordinance only if certain special conditions are satisfied. Charles got the case after Lebanon Solar 1 appealed the township supervisors’ April 2022 denial of its application.
Lebanon Solar I appealed Charles’ decision to Commonwealth Court on Feb. 22, and North Annville Township followed with a cross-appeal on March 4.
In an otherwise light action-oriented but information-packed agenda, supervisors also learned that the planned merger of Bellegrove and Union Water Works fire companies is moving forward.
Read More: N. Annville Twp. fire company merger advances despite stalled bylaws pact
In recent months there were questions as to whether Union Water Works would merge with the only other fire company in the township due to unanswered questions their members had about the new bylaws.
Spiraling costs to provide emergency services in the township was previously cited as the primary reason for the planned merger.
It was stated that Bametzreider would be receiving final details to send to Lebanon County Orphans Court and to the Pennsylvania State Attorney General’s office to move the consolidation plan forward.
The merger committee plans to have all necessary requirements completed by Jan. 1. It was stated that there’s about four months of work remaining before the merger becomes official.
“They’re doing a great job and everyone seems to be coming together,” a representative of the merger committee told supervisors. “Thanks to everybody who has helped. It was a challenge, but we got it done.”
That announcement was followed by Bellegrove Fire Company presenting its monthly report, noting there were eight emergency calls in August. Union Water Works Fire Company did not present a monthly report.
During the highway report, board chairman Clyde Meyer announced officials attempted but were unable to purchase a flashing red light for placement on the stop sign on Thompson Avenue at Hill Church Road. He noted they were going to check with North Lebanon Township officials to determine where they had purchased theirs.
Cleona Borough police officer Frank Town presented the police report, since Cleona Borough chief Jeffrey Farneski was at another event. Cleona Police Department contracts with the township to provide police service.
Town said there were 84 non-traffic incidents and 34 traffic citations issued in August. He said a suspect would be issued an arrest warrant for the theft of a lawn mower in the township and that police were investigating a burglary at the mansion at the corner of Clear Spring Road and Route 422.
Town also noted that a scam artist pretending to be associated with Publishers Clearinghouse was working to steal money from local residents. He asked residents to immediately hang up on any callers who say they are associated with that organization and call police at 717-274-2510.
“Do not provide any personal bank information on the phone or over the internet and immediately call the police department,” said Town.
Two Hill Church Road residents registered speeding complaints with Town. A woman noted that she is concerned about school buses and speeding vehicles traveling on Hill Church Road now that the school year has started, adding that vehicles travel as fast as 70 mph by her home.
She said she can read the township’s digitized speed warning sign that is placed on speed limit signs from her front porch, noting that’s how she knows how fast some vehicles are traveling there.
Another resident asked how many truck citations were issued for violations on Clear Spring Road. That question was related to the trailer limit size ordinance that the township supervisors passed last month that prohibits trailers over 43 feet from using that roadway. Town said he did not have that information with him at this time.
Read More: Charges over new N. Annville Twp. ordinance filed one day, dropped the next
In other township business, supervisors unanimously voted to:
- Issue a notice via the township solicitor to a property owner at 1693 N. State Route 934 to announce that the township believes the property owner is in violation of the nuisance ordinance for too many vehicles on his land. Wolfe said a large emergency vehicle has no state registration after its license plate was run by Cleona police and shown to have its registration expire last March.
- Read and agree to pay monthly bills.
- Approve the minutes of their Aug. 12 meeting and the treasurer’s report.
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