The town of Clymer officially voted and approved the special use permit for the first solar project in the town. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

CLYMER — After working with the RIC Energy company for 18 months, the town of Clymer has approved a special use permit for the solar project at 1548 Upper Road.

Following multiple public hearings, discussions, and asking for a new site plan that adheres to the setback laws stated in the town’s solar law, the town officially approved the special use permit during the May meeting.

Andy Welch with RIC Energy was in attendance and said that after moving the setback and adding more landscape he believed they had given the town everything that was asked of them.

“From my perspective, thank you very much for working with us as you have,” Town Supervisor Brian Willink said. “I know this has been a long project for you and has involved a lot of your staff, our engineering and legal teams and public hearings and all that.”

Approving the special use permit gives RIC Energy the ability to now apply for a building permit. Highlights of the special use permit include; complying with the solar law setbacks which are 300 feet from the road and 500 feet from any dwellings, landscaping and visual aids being put in to obscure the view of the project which the town will check once every five years to make sure everything is good, the natural topography of the location that already helps to obscure some of the views, panels will not be visible from Upper Road, all other parts of the solar law are complied with and a final emergency response plan will be put in. Willink said fire department personnel will do a walk through once the project is in place to instruct the town on what to do and not do.

Now that the board approved the special use permit, RIC Energy can now move forward to the next steps of the project, which involves getting the building permit.

“This sets in motion the next set of things, which is working towards a building permit,” Willink said. “That will come back to us as well, but Jeff Messenger, Code Enforcement, is involved in that as well. So, we’ll go from there.”

Welch thanked the board for their time and being willing to work with them throughout this process. Willink thanked Welch for his time and for being willing to work within the town’s laws, especially as this is the town’s first solar project.