Two ordinances regarding the property on which a developer plans to build a 19-acre solar farm were passed at the Charleston City Council meeting on Tuesday. 
The property, owned by O & D Farms Inc., is 38.92 acres and located north of Charleston along state route 130. It is part of Seven Hickory Township.  
The first ordinance granted permission to O & D Farms Inc. and the developer, Coles County Solar LLC, to use part of the property for a 19-acre solar farm. 
The Charleston Board of Zoning Appeals and Planning recommended the approval of the conditional use permit after a public hearing on Feb. 26. The zoning board voted to recommend 6-0 with one abstention, according to the ordinance. 
The second ordinance established a pre-annexation agreement between the city, the developer and the owner.  
The pre-annexation agreement is a legal document that sets the terms for the property to potentially be incorporated into the city of Charleston in the future. 
The pre-annexation agreement states that if within 20 years the city’s corporate limits and the property come to directly border each other, then the property will be annexed by the city. 
The property currently falls within the city of Charleston’s planning and zoning jurisdiction, but it does not fall within the corporate limits of any municipality, according to the agreement.  
Todd Easton, the supervisor of Seven Hickory Township, spoke to the board during the public comment portion of the meeting. 
“We just want to submit our official board position that we thought this was awful, far reaching and kind of intrusive,” said Easton.  
Easton said the pre-annexation agreement was far reaching because it would go about a mile and a half to two miles into Seven Hickory Township. 
The ordinance was open for a public hearing before the City Council meeting. 
Notice of the pre-annexation agreement was sent to Seven Hickory Morgon Fire Protection District Trustees, Seven Hickory Township Trustees, the road commissioner, clerk, supervisor and Coles County engineer on Feb 13. 
The City Council also passed two resolutions authorizing the city to apply for community project funding in two congressional districts to help fund rehabilitation of the city’s sewer pipes. 
If granted, the community project funding would allow for the rehabilitation of almost 13 miles worth of sewer pipes, which are currently made of clay and facing deterioration. The deterioration has been noticed several times throughout the past few years. 
A public hearing for discussion of the resolutions was held prior to the meeting. 
Jackie Freezeland, deputy city clerk, spoke during the public hearing section. 
“When it rains, our treatment plant ends up cleaning a lot of water and sediment that never belonged in the sewer system in the first place,” Freezeland said. 
She said that most of the deteriorating pipes are in the older neighborhoods of Charleston. 
“Addressing these areas first not only protects critical trunk lines and collector systems, but also ensures that the improvements will benefit residents in the heart of our town and the most economically challenged portions of our community,” Freezeland said. 
The project is considered a “master priority” in the city’s comprehensive plan and is essential to protecting public health, environmental quality and eventually long-term infrastructure reliability, Freezeland said.  
The total estimated cost of the proposed project is $5,744,399. Due to the large cost, the city has split the proposal into two parts to be able to apply for community project funding in two separate congressional districts. 
If granted, funds would come from both Illinois’ 12th Congressional District and Illinois’ 15th Congressional District. One part of Charleston is located within District 12, and the other part is within District 15. There are six-and-a-half miles of sewer pipeline in District 12 and seven miles of pipeline in District 15. 
The community project funding requested for District 12 will be $1,895,358. The funding requested for District 15 will be $2,700,162. 
The city will also provide a local match for the remaining 20% required for the completion of the project, and the local match is not to exceed $473,839 and $675,041 for each district respectively, according to the resolutions.  
Without outside funding, it would not be possible to complete the sewer pipe rehabilitation project, Freezeland said. 
 
Olivia Clardy can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]
The student news site of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois.

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