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WCSJ Photo 
WCSJ Photo 
A new solar farm could be constructed in the Village of Minooka. The Minooka Village Board on Tuesday held a public hearing for the project.
Village Administrator Dan Duffy explained details about the project and said the public hearing will continue until next month as well. 
“Recommended one energy solar project to the board tonight. Again, this is just a public hearing, so we’ll give a summary then open up for public comment, questions from the board, and this will be continued until next month where you’ll actually be considering the, approval of the pre annexation agreement, the, map amendments and zoning to agricultural, and then lastly, the conditional permitted use for the solar farm. So tonight again is just the public hearing. One Energy proposes a commercial two megawatt fixed array solar facility on approximately eleven acres, although the site that they are renting is twenty one acres. So, just a little over half of what is proposed because of the wetlands to the north. The site is located at the northeast corner of West Shepley Road in I-eighty. Again, on the exhibit you see eighty to the west there, Shelby to the south and blue represents the flood plain.” 
He said One Solar will be required to follow certain conditions. 
“We have payments in lieu of tap-ons, for water and sewer throughout the, last few months, and throughout the year, actually. Considering annexation for solar farms, the board has instructed staff to collect tap on fees. In other words, if residential were to go in here, this site would produce water tap on and sewer tap on fees for, Lake Michigan water. So, there’s a dollar amount of a hundred twenty thousand that’ll be donated or given from the company to the village for the, payment in lieu. There’s also a park contribution. Again, the trustees have instructed staff for each annexation of a solar farm that the, solar farms contribute towards our parks. There’s a flat ninety thousand dollar contribution there. Last couple items are screening along Shepley Road and also on the east side where there’s residential, so additional screening is required there. There’s a mowing management program, roughly since this is in the rural area, it will still follow a agricultural five times per year during the growing season, mowing schedule.” 
He also provided details about taxes generated from the project. 
“Currently, taxes on this property, on the twenty one acres is about five eighty seven dollars per year is what it produces. We’re usually around eight percent of that, so we get about forty seven dollars. Once built, the, the one energy estimates that the, the project will produce roughly sixteen thousand per year and that equates to about twelve eighty dollars for us if we look at our eight percent. And then lastly, the, wiring was required to be buried although in between the connections of each panel, it’s actually going to be, buried in between the actual arrays itself. So it will be buried. And most importantly, I want to point this out that they were one energy was able to work with ComEd to actually limit the amount of poles, being required by this and also bury the connection to the pole. Something that we’ve been asking for is the village for a long time, but they are able to achieve. So that’s good news there.” 
A representative from One Energy Solar was at the meeting to answer a few questions. A final vote will come at the next meeting.
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