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A shower is possible early. Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.
Updated: August 3, 2026 @ 6:44 pm
Solar panels reflect off the sun’s rays along Turkey Knob Road west of Mount Jackson.
Solar panels reflect off the sun’s rays along Turkey Knob Road west of Mount Jackson.
MOUNT JACKSON — Energix has accepted Mount Jackson’s counteroffer for $1.375 million in voluntary payments tied to a five-year extension of the company’s delayed Turkey Knob solar project.
The Town Council will hold an Aug. 11 public hearing on extending the project’s special-use permits through 2031. The financial terms remain subject to council approval and completion of a written agreement that had not been signed as of council’s meting on Thursday.
“Now for this one, I have good news,” Town Manager Olivia Hilton said during the council’s recent work session.
The agreement calls for Energix to pay $275,000 upon approval of the extension, $350,000 upon approval of the site plan, $425,000 when construction begins and $325,000 when the project reaches commercial operation.
The town would receive the first $275,000 even if the remaining project is never built, Hilton said.
“So they accepted that?” council member Todd Holtzman asked.
“Yes,” Hilton said.
“Very nice,” Holtzman said.
“I think this is a lot better than we would have had,” council member Madison Estep Heltzel said.
“This is exciting,” Hilton said.
The $1.375 million would replace a $50,000 lump-sum payment included in the original agreement.
The voluntary payments would come in addition to annual revenue-share payments authorized under state law. Hilton estimated the unbuilt 75-megawatt expansion would generate more than $100,000 annually once it begins operating.
“We couldn’t negotiate the state code revenue share,” Hilton said. “The only thing we could negotiate was lump sum.”
Energix proposed in April to pay $10,000 annually during the five-year extension, $250,000 when a building permit was issued and $750,000 when the project connected to the electrical grid.
Hilton said the company later responded to the town’s counteroffer with terms worth less than Energix’s earlier proposal.
Council member Rod Shepherd questioned why Energix had returned with less money than it previously offered.
“I know,” Hilton said. “When I wrote that, I was like, ‘Am I doing my math right?’”
“Honest to God,” Shepherd said. “Who are these people?”
Energix told council members in April that its software had mistaken a Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative line for Dominion Energy transmission infrastructure.
The mistake requires the company to restart the PJM Interconnection process, pushing anticipated commercial operation to 2031 or 2032.
About 450 acres and 75 megawatts remain unbuilt. An existing 15-megawatt portion began generating electricity in 2021.
Hilton said the initial payment was not included in the town’s fiscal 2027 budget.
She said the money could help advance road and entrance improvements at Lions Park, where work has begun on an entrance from state Route 263.
“There’s plenty of ways we could spend $275,000,” Hilton said.
Community center property
The council also discussed whether to proceed with the town’s proposed purchase of approximately four acres behind the Shenandoah County Community Center.
Hilton said staff recommends abandoning the acquisition and considering support for the center separately.
“Staff recommendation is to drop the project, support the community center separately,” Hilton said.
The property was appraised at approximately $370,000 and would have been sold to the town for $50,000.
The roughly $320,000 difference could have counted toward the town’s match for a $450,000 federal grant, leaving the town to provide about $130,000 toward a project valued at approximately $900,000.
The property had been considered for a multipurpose field, trails, parking and lighting, along with a possible aquatic facility.
Holtzman, who helped lead the center’s restoration, proposed pairing the sale with $250,000 in town support over 10 years, paid in annual installments of $25,000.
Hilton said much of the grant project would have paid for infrastructure that made less sense without a realistic funding source for an aquatic facility.
“I do think, ultimately, the project was probably too big for the space in the sense of what we were going to get for what money we were going to put in,” Hilton said.
Holtzman said abandoning the acquisition would weaken the possibility of building a pool behind the community center.
“If we don’t buy the property, then how’s the pool going to happen in the future?” Holtzman said. “You’ve foregone a $900,000 investment that gets most of the infrastructure done, with the exception of the building.”
He said a private organization would be unlikely to finance and build the facility without government participation.
“It’s a miracle that the community center got done,” Holtzman said. “It was well done and delivered to the community.”
Hilton said dropping the current project would not prevent the town and community center from working together later.
“I don’t feel that the aquatic center has to be off the table if that’s the space for it down the road,” Hilton said. “I just feel that the council shouldn’t be kind of held hostage to it for hopes that may never come to fruition.”
The council took no formal action.
Laundromat complaints
Earlier in the work session, Mike Ashley asked for time to address complaints about Ashley’s Laundromat and the neighboring car wash on Main Street.
Residents have complained about broken machines, standing water, trash, tall grass and machines taking money without providing service.
Ashley said many complaints were false or exaggerated. He said household garbage is routinely dumped at the car wash and people have damaged or stolen equipment.
“I can take trash up in the morning, go to New Market, come back, and it’s full again,” Ashley said.
Hilton said the town may enforce litter and property-maintenance rules. The treasurer may suspend a business license for up to 30 days for good cause, while a longer suspension or revocation would require council action and a public hearing.
Town code also requires complaints involving money lost in coin-operated machines to be resolved before a business license is issued, she said.
Hilton said six of the laundromat’s 14 washers were operating when she met with Ashley. Ashley said two more had since been repaired.
Hilton said the town had issued several tall-grass violations. Council members asked Ashley to maintain the properties more consistently rather than waiting for notices.
Ashley asked for more frequent police checks, saying officers walking through the businesses would deter vandalism, dumping and drug use.
Hilton said police would increase checks, the town would arrange commercial trash service at the car wash and staff would work with Ashley to review customer complaints through his camera system.
Ashley said cameras had reduced problems at the car wash, including people changing oil or dumping material into the drains.
“You get people that are stupid,” Ashley said. “They come in there and want to change their oil or something.”
Council member Kyle Kennedy objected to Ashley’s descriptions of customers.
“From a council standpoint and from a citizen standpoint, it feels a little disrespectful to come in and say the caliber of people you’re dealing with and to call them stupid,” Kennedy said.
Ashley apologized.
Kennedy said he visited the laundromat twice over three weeks and found the same puddle of water, broken machines and trash.
“It was the same trash, though,” Kennedy said. “Exact same trash.”
Kennedy said a shoe was sitting in water behind the washing machines during both visits.
“Happens a lot,” Ashley said.
“The same shoe for two weeks,” Kennedy said.
— Contact Ryan Fitzmaurice at rfitzmaurice@nvdaily.com
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