Hartford Township is a quiet rural community, rich in farmlands and natural resources that allow a serene and quiet lifestyle for its many residents.  Most houses sit on modest acreage and enjoy the beautiful view of wildlife and natural flora.  We, the residents, believe in renewable energy and support its continued development when done in a responsible and respectful manner. There are areas of the Township that do not encroach on the quiet clusters of neighbors who enjoy their country homes and the investments they have made in their land. 

We ask Harvey Solar to relocate the project that entails installation of industrial-scale solar panels to areas of the county that is not populated by developed rural neighborhoods.  The current proposed area of this project will create a sea of black  panels to the front, side and rear of residents. We strongly believe the ill effect on our environment, beyond the eyesore will be irreversible and include:

• Adverse, long-term consequences to natural resources on and within the surrounding proposed site.
• Displacement of the area’s thriving native wildlife and birds.
• Removal of hundreds of acres of prime farmland from agricultural use.
• Degradation of rural, scenic views the residents of this community chose to build and invest.
• A decrease in surrounding property values caused by the wrongful siting of this utility-scale operation in a densely-populated rural area.
• Concerns and costs related to the proper disposal of solar panels and storage batteries and the land being returned to its previous natural conditions at the end of the project.
• Conflicts of interest regarding Township Trustees owning a major portion of the proposed leased land.

As to the construction of the project, we have researched and personally visited a Solar Farm commissioned by Harvey Solar in Southwest Ohio, located in Brown County.  Testimonials of local residents affected by this installation include:

• Unbearable noise up to 14 hours per day that disrupted their daily life for more than a year.
• Dust, mud and debris on the roadways, driveways and property.
• Workers bused into the community who were not local residents and did not account for 80% of promised local employment.
• Loitering workers identified on security cameras on the property of residents while they were not at home.
• Theft and vandalism of property.
• Poor response time and attention to construction related concerns including drainage issues and violation of promised hours of operation.
• Littering beyond the containment of the project space as well as unsightly industrial size remnants of the project left behind.
• Landscaping promised to "hide" the unsightly panels from view are sparse, tiny and have not been maintained.

In closing, we the undersigned strongly urge our state & local officials to take immediate action to preserve and protect our community’s high-quality agricultural soils and farm operations, natural resources, native birds and wildlife, scenic viewsheds and home values by denying Harvey Solar permits to build the proposed 2,200 acre project in the identified area. A renewable energy project of this scale and magnitude is best suited for a more remote or industrial site in Licking County. Please join us in protecting the essential beauty and character of our rural community and its many resources from being degraded for decades by this wrongly-sited, wrongly-sized industrial solar facility.