Folks, we have some important updates on the righteous fight to Save Mount Hope Cemetery. 

1. Public Meeting 8/7/25 - Please Attend in Person

There will be another 'community' solar meeting on 8/7/25. We're asking everyone who can to attend this meeting and speak out against the project. 
The developers will claim superficial changes like 'wildlife-friendly fencing' make this project better. We're not falling for it. We don't want wildlife-friendly fencing; we want to preserve wildlife habitat and the character of this beautiful natural cemetery. Meeting details: Thursday, August 7, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The Campus Welcome Center, located at 2300 West Main Street, Belleville, IL 62226 

2. City Gives Solar Company a Better Deal 

Last month, the City of Belleville voted to amend the solar lease, extending it from 25 to 35 years and lowering the monthly lease amount and upfront payment. Supposedly, this is because the fee to hook up this solar farm to the grid is much more expensive than estimated. Why? We assume this is because, like we've been saying all along, this remote creekside location is poorly suited for development. The City keeps claiming it needs the money, but it just voluntarily gave the solar company a remarkably better deal. It's the latest example of why this project looks as crooked as a dog's hind leg. Read all about it here.

3. We're Fundraising to Take this to Court

Next week, we're launching a crowdfunding campaign to hire a lawyer. Despite all the negative attention and bringing up legal issues with this project, it moves on undeterred. We're not going down without a fight. We'd much rather be fundraising to help fix up the cemetery, but it looks like the only shot we have is bringing this case to court. If the City and solar developers are going to take this land away from us, we're going to make them work for it. Any leads on a lawyer who might help us for a charitable rate would be a big help - send us an email at savemounthope@gmail.com
Any funds not used for hiring a lawyer will go exclusively toward the cemetery or be returned to donors. 

Thanks for your continued support. 
- Save Mount Hope