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West Penn Township amends its solar ordinance

Amendments to West Penn Township’s solar ordinance have been approved.

On a 2-0 vote, township supervisors Tuesday morning adopted an ordinance to amend and add provisions regarding decommissioning of solar energy collection devices.

Supervisor Jim Akins was absent.

The vote came after supervisors held a public hearing on the solar decommissioning ordinance to receive comment to amend the township’s solar ordinance. No one from the public commented on the matter.

It amends and restate a section of the ordinance to add provisions regarding decommissioning of solar energy collection devices, providing for a repealer, provisions regarding validity and the effective date of the ordinance.

A complete copy of the full proposed text of the proposed ordinance may be examined by any citizen of the township at the West Penn Township Municipal Building, 27 Municipal Road, on any business day during township business hours.

Last month, supervisors said they planned to continue to revamp parts of a township zoning ordinance that pertain to solar farms.

At that time, township solicitor Paul J. Datte presented supervisors with amendments that detail the decommissioning of solar energy collection devices.

The provisions Datte cited were taken from Schuylkill County ordinances that were approved last year and focus on decommissioning solar panels, along with security for the decommissioning process.

The board unanimously approved his suggestion to move the revisions forward immediately.

Also during that meeting, it was noted that the company that purchased the former Villas Crossing Golf Course in West Penn Township had not approached township officials with any plans.

Board Chairman Tony Prudenti, while addressing a resident who asked whether a solar farm would be constructed on the property, said there has been no official submission.

Schuylkill County property records show that Solareit2-A II LLC bought the property, which includes 161 acres near 521 Golf Road, for just under $2 million.

According to its website, Solareit is a real estate company “focused on delivering solar and battery energy storage developers and landowners the maximum value for their land and leases.”

The company notes that its three primary products are land purchase, lease purchase and solar/storage land loans.

Prudenti said that the company had previously contacted the township engineer, ARRO Engineering, about the property. ARRO, in turn, prepared a comment and a rendering for the company, and then shared it with the township.

Prudenti said that he hadn’t heard anything since then. To be sure, he checked with other township officials and office staff. Prudenti said that there has not been any contact.

The resident who asked about the solar farm said he believed that the company would eventually do something with the property, given the price it paid for the land.