County committee deals solar project a blow

Supervisors on the Ozaukee County Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday unanimously recommended against installing a controversial solar panel array at Mee-Kwon Park Golf Course, saying it was incompatible with the park setting and county policy.

Nevertheless, the matter will continue to the County Board because the Public Works Committee last recommended that the project be approved.

But the project still has to pass muster with the Mequon Plan Commission and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development since the park was established with the help of a HUD grant in the 1970s.

The solar array would occupy about 3.9 acres at the southern end of the park and generate 1.22 megawatts of electricity. 

Under the proposal, We Energies would lease the land and pay the county $42,277 a year for 20 years. The company would pay for installation and at the end of 20 years it would remove the array, sell it to the county or continue to lease the property.

Under the conditions of a deed restriction on the property because of the HUD grant, which was issued in the 1970s, leasing the land would require HUD approval.

County officials say the proposed lease is under review by HUD officials.

“Determination by HUD could likely hinge on whether the county is maintaining the intent and provisions of the federal Open Space Lands Program and still meets the intent of the use of the land for park and recreation as stated in our grant application to HUD in the 1970s,” according to a staff memo to the committee.  

Neighbors to the project say the project would destroy a picturesque area and devalue their properties while county supervisors representing Mequon say it is inconsistent with the county’s open space and parkland policies.

“It’s a beautiful secluded meadow, one of the most beautiful in the southern part of the county,” that will be destroyed by the “industrial installation,” neighbor Aaron Armstrong told the committee Tuesday.

The site is located within a 10-plus acre area and is bounded by woods and wetlands.  One house is located within 500 feet of the site and about a dozen more within 1,000 feet.

If developed, officials propose surrounding it with a seven-foot-high fence and screening it with tall prairie grasses.

Walking trails  around the site would be improved and the meadow would be restored to eradicate invasive species and install prairie grasses, officials say.

The proposal is part of We Energies’ Solar Now, or Rent-a-Roof, program, which seeks to lease space on government or non-profit roof tops or land and install solar panels, covering the cost of equipment, installation and maintenance.

It differs from traditional solar power programs where participants pay the cost of installing and maintaining panels in exchange for energy credits from the power company.

The Village of Saukville and the Port Washington-Saukville School District are participating in the program and are receiving $21,356 and $8,717 per year, respectively.

The Mee-Kwon site was chosen by We Energies from eight county-owned locations because of its nearness to electrical infrastructure that supplies the nearby Fromm Family Foods.

We Energies has said Mee-Kwon is the only acceptable county site and if the proposal is rejected the company will seek out other customers.

The county’s Energy Action Commission endorsed participation in the Solar Now program but took no action on the proposed project.

The  Public Works Committee last month recommended approval of the project on a vote of 4-1, with Supr. Pat Marchese of Mequon voting no.

County staff believe current county zoning allows for the use of renewable energy installations on parkland, but some supervisors questioned whether that’s the case.

“This project is inconsistent with the county park and open space plan,” Marchese, who is chairman of the City of Mequon’s Park and Open Space Board, told the committee Tuesday.

Committee Chairman Don Korinek agreed, pointing out the county is seeking to add open space in the form of the Clay Bluffs Cedar Gorge nature preserve along the Lake Michigan bluff.

This project “would set a precedent at a time the county is trying to add open spaces,” he said. 

Jason Wittek, a county policy and budget analyst, said the project would have to obtain a conditional use permit from the Mequon Plan Commission but said the Wisconsin Counties Association has advised the county that it likely would pass because of state guidelines allowing solar projects.

“We feel we would meet the guidelines,” Wittek said. 

Thiensville Supr. Rob Holyoke said the project “has too many questions” that need to be cleared up. 

“I don’t think it’s a bad project. It’s not industrial, I think it’s screened and it won’t affect property values,” he said.

Mequon Supr. Natalia Minkel-Dumit said she was “torn” over the project, saying she supports the expansion of solar energy but can see why neighbors have an “emotional connection” to the property.

“It’s a beautiful meadow. It’s not a vacant lot,” she said.

Mequon Supr. Bruce Ross, who represents the district where the project lies, said his no vote was not a vote against solar energy.

“This is not about reducing energy usage, but about reducing the levy” by $42,277 every year, saying the project could be constructed elsewhere, even if not on county land.

Under the resolution voted on by both committees, half the money paid to the county would go to support the county Planning and Parks Department.

County Administrator Jason Dzwinel said the issue will go to the County Board for a vote because it was recommended by the Public Works Committee, but not until it gets clearance from HUD.