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Updated: May 17, 2026 @ 12:09 pm
Representatives from from Susquehanna Solar discuss plans for a solar farm to be located at 3391 Bethel-Wilmington Road, Shenango Township, during a special meeting of the Shenango Township Board of Supervisors Thursday evening.
Attorney Timothy Schoonover, representing his client Jon Wadsworth of Susquehanna Solar, speaks during a special meeting of the Shenango Township Board of Supervisors Thursday evening.
Attorney Timothy Schoonover, representing his client Jon Wadsworth of Susquehanna Solar, speaks during a special meeting of the Shenango Township Board of Supervisors Thursday evening.
Residents filled the Shenango Township municipal building for a special meeting of the township Board of Supervisors to discuss a solar farm planned for 3391 Bethel-Wilmington Road, Shenango Township.
Jon Wadsworth, director of operations for Susquehanna Solar, discusses a solar farm planned for 3391 Bethel-Wilmington Road, Shenango Township, during a special meeting of the Shenango Township aupervisors Thursday.
The drawings for a planned solar farm, which would be located at 3391 Bethel-Wilmington Road, Shenango Township, were displayed during a special meeting of the Shenango Township Board of Supervisors Thursday evening.
Representatives from from Susquehanna Solar discuss plans for a solar farm to be located at 3391 Bethel-Wilmington Road, Shenango Township, during a special meeting of the Shenango Township Board of Supervisors Thursday evening.
Attorney Timothy Schoonover, representing his client Jon Wadsworth of Susquehanna Solar, speaks during a special meeting of the Shenango Township Board of Supervisors Thursday evening.
Attorney Timothy Schoonover, representing his client Jon Wadsworth of Susquehanna Solar, speaks during a special meeting of the Shenango Township Board of Supervisors Thursday evening.
Residents filled the Shenango Township municipal building for a special meeting of the township Board of Supervisors to discuss a solar farm planned for 3391 Bethel-Wilmington Road, Shenango Township.
Jon Wadsworth, director of operations for Susquehanna Solar, discusses a solar farm planned for 3391 Bethel-Wilmington Road, Shenango Township, during a special meeting of the Shenango Township aupervisors Thursday.
The drawings for a planned solar farm, which would be located at 3391 Bethel-Wilmington Road, Shenango Township, were displayed during a special meeting of the Shenango Township Board of Supervisors Thursday evening.
SHENANGO TOWNSHIP — The Shenango Township supervisors have approved a new solar farm as a conditional zoning use.
The planned solar energy system would be constructed at 3391 Bethel-Wilmington Road, Shenango Township.
While multiple steps remain in the project, such as crafting a land development plan and securing approvals from state agencies, the Ssupervisors approved the solar farm as a conditional use during a special meeting Thursday.
Donald and Joann Yasnowsky, owners of the site, have an agreement to sell the property to Wilmington Solar Farm LLC so the company can operate a solar farm there.
Solicitor Brett Stedman said property is zoned “Residential Agricultural,” which allows solar panels for a solar energy system as a conditional use.
The conditional-use application was ultimately approved by the supervisors present following an executive session. Vice Chair Earl Butterfield Sr. and Supervisor Dale Perry were absent.
The approval came with 10 conditions by the supervisors, including the developer having to post a 110% bond to decommission the property and a separate $300,000 bond to maintain the property in case of bankruptcy.
Other conditions included a ban on storing any batteries at the site and mandatory firefighter training at the site annually, or at the fire chief’s discretion.
The farm will include features such as an eight-foot-tall fence around the arrays and plantings in a buffer area around it.
Project Manager Justin Klee of Bohler Engineering said many aspects of the project fell well within the township ordinance’s requirements, such as the fenced-in area only covering about 30% of the property, whereas the township’s maximum was 40%.
The solar farm will be monitored remotely, with a vehicle occasionally visiting the site for maintenance. Otherwise, no staff will be at the site.
Later, Jon Wadsworth, Susquehanna Solar’s director of operations, explained the solar panels will have an average life of about 25 to 40 years, although he suspects more-efficient solar panels may be invented within 25 years.
At the end of the project’s service life, the company will decommission the property to remove all of the structures, repair the ground then sell the property.
Wadsworth said there will also be a multimillion-dollar bond that would cover 110% of the costs to decommission the property, so that even if the company goes bankrupt, the bond could cover the decommissioning costs and any unexpected costs.
That bond will also be reviewed every five years to ensure the bond remains consistent with rising prices.
Residents opposed to the project had the opportunity to interview the three representatives, including residents Jacquie Calvert, Debra Witkowski and Peggy Sheehan, who all live in the Bethel-Wilmington Road area.
Calvert had a few questions regarding the project, such as whether high-voltage wires would be installed above the neighbors’ properties.
Klee said the power lines would be underground, except for the lines that will directly connect to Penn Power’s grid.
Klee said the only noise-producing machinery would be the power inverters during the day, although each inverter would be surrounded by noise-cancelling fencing. Most ambient noise, such as birds chirping, are already above 40 decibels anyway.
Wadsworth responded to a question by Witkowski there are no pending lawsuits against the Wilmington Solar Farm LLC, while an investor filed a case against Susquehanna Solar. That case was later settled.
Sheehan said during a public comment period the residents were “unified in opposition” to the project, particularly when it came to their concerns for the solar farm’s effect on neighboring properties and the environment.
Calvert said there were cases elsewhere of solar farms degrading farmland and water, and causing hazards for wildlife such as birds. Calvert also said she appreciated the supervisors’ willingness to hear residents’ concerns.
Supervisor Kyle Roth asked how long it would take for the panels’ anti-reflective material to degrade, to which Wadsworth answered, “No longer than the rest of the panel.”
Roth said he was concerned about the potential for neighboring residents to be affected by the panels’ glare. Wadsworth said the anti-reflective material, the slope of the property, walls and buffers would all help conceal any glares.
One of Board Chair Tom Hubert’s concerns was the need for a security bond to ensure the property was maintained if the project fell through or either company involved went bankrupt.
After some back-and-forth with the developers over the issue, Hubert told the developers, “I’ve never had a company put in a $10 million project on 40 or 50 acres of property that residents live around.”
Stedman said after the vote the supervisors sympathized with the plight of the residents in the area of the planned solar farm, but the project met all of the ordinance’s requirements and the supervisors were legally obligated to approve the conditional use because they felt the developers would be successful if they appealed the decision.
“They were great people. They had good questions, and they were very educated on the topic,” Wadsworth said of the residents and supervisors.
While there are still additional approvals that must be secured, Wadsworth said the developers estimate the solar farm will be completed by late 2027 or early 2028.
Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at ddye@sharonherald.com
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