Minutes 05-27-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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the property and land surrounding it. And over the years we have always tried to be harmonious with the community and try to keep the property in farm use. I struggle with it every day. I own the horse farm or the farm right across the pasture that most people can see from across Cascade Drive. It's been really difficult to keep it. I was approached by this company too. We got some letters in the mail here not too long ago. I read about it and looked it up online and decided that I was firmly against taking my farm and putting it into a commercial operation, especially when I knew that we were in the buffer zone. And I just can't - it seems kind of contradictory about what we're trying to do in the County. And some of us have struggled for so many years to try to keep family farms and things like this from going on and on and on and on. I know how difficult it is, and I know how fast Johnson grass grows and how much you've got to keep it mowed. So, I'm already there on board with that. The maintenance— I also know what kind of maintenance is going to go into taking care of bushes and trees. Now we have felled some trees about 30 years ago back there on the back side of our property. Replanted some pines, and now it's been a little over 30 years now, and those pines are just probably in the neighborhood of 35 to 40 feet and about ready to be trimmed. So, it's been 30 years, and the pine is one of the fastest growing trees that we can have — pines and black gum, unfortunately, and cottonwood. It takes many years to get a tree high enough to cover up these so called —these fence lines they are going to have, especially with the rise and the fall of the land. Now in a few years when I get ready to maybe retire and maybe build a little house that would maybe be a little bit more easily maintained —the house I live in was built around in 1851. It's been there a long time. It's difficult for me to maintain when I may be 65 or 70 years old. I had a place picked out. This place would be above a rise, and I would definitely see all of the field of panels. I do not have any pictures to show, but I would be glad to invite everybody here at any time to come by my place. And you are welcome to come by and walk around and take a look. Thank you. Pete Hallenbeck: Alright, thank you. Next on our list, Judith Kramer. Judith Kramer: Hello, I am sworn in. My name is Judith Kramer. I put my name on the list because of the short time frame. I wasn't able to attend a meeting of the neighbors in the Falls of New Hope area. I am a resident of the Falls of New Hope Community, although my street does not directly abut the field. But, I certainly defer to what all of the residents have testified about tonight, and the veracity of what was stated very eloquently by them. I would only like to add a couple of points. Personally, as a very strong supporter of renewable energy, I found this a tremendous conflict, and this hearing this evening very disappointing, not in terms of how you've conducted the hearing, but the reality that we don't have a balanced situation where we are balancing community good and the interests of the individuals affected. I'd like to point out something that hasn't been pointed out. It's been skirted around. People have talked about how long it would take for the trees to grow, but one of the realities around that is many of the members of our community have been there awhile. As you know, it's been there 50 years, and many of us are retiring. And when you retire and your paycheck stops, you start thinking about what is going to support you in your retirement. And the value of your home is not just a theoretical value to entertain profit, but it could be the source of your income and your ability to move on, if you need additional care, to a different alternative living situation. So, please consider this, and hopefully if you stand by the ordinance or the rule that says you need to maintain property value, it won't be the issue. But, I'm very concerned after listening to the testimony tonight.