To the Editor:

On Thursday Jan. 4, the Knox Planning Board voted to give conditional approval to the solar-array project on Thompsons Lake Road. I and many others situated around the site have been fiercely opposed to this project for several reasons since the very first virtual meeting.

While I do not know the official duties/objectives/goals of the planning board members, I would hope they look for projects that will benefit the town, not change the character of it, and listen to the opinion of the residents directly impacted by each proposal.

However, it seems the unanimous voice of the people opposed went unheard. I believe this approval by the Knox Planning Board is a huge disservice to the neighbors surrounding this parcel of land and should have been denied.

Some of us have lived here for twenty, thirty years or more and our legitimate objections did not seem to matter. The approval of this project in such close proximity to so many residential properties is setting a bad precedent. It sends a message to all those who live in this town that no property is safe from having a solar farm next door .

No one is opposed to solar farms but there are so many other locations in the town that are more suitable where it would not interfere with so many private homes.  

This solar array is going to be 250 feet from my back door, 60 feet from my property line — and this is way too close for comfort. Studies attesting to decrease in property values were downplayed. Refer to a Dec. 4 article in The Altamont Enterprise [“New Scotland neighbors question impact of solar farm on property value”].

While we agree that building solar farms in residential areas is relatively new, all residents present at the virtual meeting felt there is enough evidence to prove a decrease to be a reality.

Then we were initially told that there would be no noise generated from this project. It was revealed at the Jan. 14 meeting that there will be a hum from the cooling fans. Will we hear it because we are so close, who knows? Will it upset the wildlife and horses nearby with their acute hearing?

Also, we feel it will not matter how much of a buffer the solar company incorporates, this is still going to be a huge eyesore. I think it will be highly improbable that 16,000 solar panels are going to be hidden from plain sight, especially when we have no foliage on the trees for seven months of the year.

What are those visitors driving through our town on their way to Thacher Park, Thompson Lake State Park, or other recreational areas going to think when they see a solar array in a quaint residential area? What are they going to think about rural country living then? 

Over 30 years ago, we built our house here because of the seclusion of the property. We chose to build near the back of the property to be surrounded by nature and wildlife. We have thoroughly enjoyed our life here until now.

Country living as we knew it will be a thing of the past.

To add insult to injury, it will take three months to complete this project, working Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. That is three months of pounding, digging, driving huge trucks and equipment right behind our home, which will surely reverberate the ground and be felt in our home.

We are genuinely concerned about the impact all of this will have on our daughter, Alyssa.  

Residents of the town of Knox, beware. You, too, may be forced to view a sea of solar panels from your doorstep.   

Al, Val, and Aly Gaige

Knox

Editor’s note: See related story.