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Commissioner Anderson commented he was concerned about the glare coming from the solar <br />farm. <br />Mr. Bash spoke to the small amount of glare that would be emitted by the solar panels. He <br />explained numerous solar panels were located at airports and this was not a safety concern for <br />arriving airplanes. He stated he has not noticed a glare coming from the existing solar farm in the <br />past three years. He described how the solar farm would be landscaped to assist with reducing any <br />glare issues. <br />Commissioner Anderson questioned if there have been any reports of scorched landscape or plants <br />that were adjacent to solar farms. <br />Mr. Bash stated he was not aware of any instances in the entire country. <br />Commissioner VanScoy asked how many other sites Connexus has considered for the proposed <br />solar farm. <br />Mr. Bash commented Connexus had considered a total of three other sites. <br />Commissioner Gengler inquired if the solar power projections were for a day, week, month or <br />year. <br />Mr. Bash stated the projections were for a year. <br />Commissioner Surma asked if energy rates will begin to decline if more renewable energy sources <br />are pursued. <br />Mr. Bash explained the cheapest energy source was wind. He commented on how the storage of <br />solar energy would assist in slightly lowering overall energy prices. <br />Jan Groth, 15240 Kangaroo Street, commented on how crops were being affected by climate <br />change. <br />Chairperson Bauer explained that climate change and solar farms were two totally different issues. <br />Jeff Nobbe, 8390 Highway 10, questioned why the City was considering changing the zoning of <br />land for a 25-year time period. He believed this was taking away from potential future <br />development and would change the landscape of the community. He did not anticipate the visitors <br />on the bike trail would enjoy viewing the solar farm. He also feared how his property value would <br />be adversely impacted by the proposed solar farm. <br />Jeff Pengro, 8390 Highway 10, asked if it was a tax benefit to have another solar farm in the City. <br />Community Development Director Gladhill commented on the tax rate for the 19-acre project site <br />and noted Connexus Energy does pay property taxes. <br />Planning Commission/September 7, 2017 <br />Page 5of13 <br />