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33 <br /> II. Statement in Support of Application <br /> A. The use will maintain or promote the public health, safety and general welfare, if <br /> located where proposed and developed and operated according the plan as submitted. <br /> The proposed solar farm will not materially affect the public health or safety. Access to <br /> the site will be from an existing private gravel drive onto White Cross Road. The site will <br /> generate virtually no traffic. The solar facility will not be staffed daily. Employees are <br /> expected to visit the property weekly or less frequently to check and maintain the <br /> equipment,mow the grass and make repairs. Two gravel parking spaces will be provided <br /> for employee use. The active area of the solar farm will be enclosed by a six foot(6') <br /> high fence and gated for security purposes. Access codes to the gate will be provided to <br /> local emergency service providers. Vehicular access to the site is adequate for the use <br /> proposed and for emergency services. <br /> There will be no buildings or employees on the property so there is no need for sewage <br /> disposal facilities or water on the site. <br /> The proposed solar farm will protect against soil erosion and sedimentation. Care is taken <br /> to minimize grading on the site by hand setting poles to support the solar cells. The areas <br /> beneath the solar panels will be planted with grass or alfalfa to stabilize the site. During <br /> construction, erosion control measures will be maintained in accordance with the County <br /> regulations and the site will comply with County storinwater regulations. All <br /> environmental buffers will be maintained and respected. <br /> B. The use will maintain and enhance the value of contiguous property (unless the use is <br /> a public necessity, in which case the use need not maintain or enhance the value of <br /> contiguous property). <br /> The proposed use will maintain and enhance the value of contiguous properties. Solar <br /> farms are virtually silent. The solar arrays proposed have no moving parts. The only <br /> sound is the quiet hum of electrical transformers, invertors and substation that deliver the <br /> solar power to the power grid. Similar facilities are located in neighborhoods to deliver <br /> power to homes. At night, when the sun is not available, there is no energy being created <br /> and no noise on the site. Solar farms generate far fewer vehicles trips than one average <br /> single-family home. Employees visit the site once a week or even less frequently. Solar <br /> panels are designed to absorb light, rather than reflect it. <br /> Solar energy is a public necessity. Demand for electricity has increased exponentially in <br /> recent years and our society is dependent upon conventional sources of power such as <br /> coal, gas,nuclear and hydro energy. Conventional sources of electricity are expensive, <br /> finite resources that require significant environmental disruption and public safety risk to <br /> maintain or extract. Solar energy is a clean, cheap, unlimited resource with little <br />