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Dear Editor, 

About a month ago, members of our community discovered news of a pending project to build a solar farm in the middle of our residential area on Old Ridge Road, east of Farmville. It is quite a shock to find this out after 18 new $300 thousand dollar Rock River Homes were built on Old Ridge Road across the street from the solar farm location. Three houses in the Ridgeway II subdivision back up to where the solar farm would be placed. I am not opposed to solar energy but placing a twenty five plus acre power plant in a residential area is not the right place. Among the reasons our community residents don’t want this solar farm are contamination of our wells and the wetland below the site, trees clearcut, habitat destroyed, triple the electric transmission lines running up our road, property value loss, danger to our children and the loss of our peaceful existence. Ridgeway II subdivision has been in existence since the early eighties. There are still lots for residences cut out for sale that back up to the solar farm location property. Our community does not want this solar farm located within our community. I suggest New Leaf Solar Energy Company find a suitable place for their proposed project.

Jon W. Garner

Farmville