Solar has been a topic at area county and municipality meetings several times over the last couple years and during its monthly meeting on Tuesday night, the Fayette County Board heard from a county resident concerned about a solar company doing surveying on the property that his mother owns. Jeff Blackburn spoke to the board and asked if the county has any protection for landowners after his experience. Blackburn says on one side of the property that a solar company had taken out a fence line and a hedge row on a property line during surveying and on the other side of the property, he says there was an issue with water being pumped across the field access. Blackburn says the company pumping water was going to work with him to fix it but that on the other side he was having trouble with that company. Blackburn says he also has had an issue on his own property with representatives being on his property without permission and that he had not been able to get in contact with the company. State Attorney Brenda Mathis says any approved projects are shown on the county’s GIS map and at one time it showed shading for a project around his property and then it was gone when checking the map again. Fayette County Sheriff says he spoke with Blackburn and he too saw on the map, no shaded area on the GIS map showing an approved project there. In talking about the issue of the hedge row and the property line issue, SA Mathis explained that would be an issue between landowners and that the county would not be involved in that issue. Blackburn says he has not spoke with the property owner on the other side of the hedge row. At this time, it looks as if there has not been a violation by a company of the county’s permit and special use rules. As far as the issue with being able to contact the solar company on his property, county board member Ashley Towler was able to get a contact name and number for Blackburn.
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