Commissioners disapprove solar farm, Colonel praises Middle Georgia 

PERRY—The Houston County Commissioners made a major decision regarding a proposed solar farm run by Silicon Ranch Corporation.

Earlier, the Board of Zoning and Appeals recommended the County Commissioners to deny the proposed solar farm. 

The property of the proposed solar farm is right next to the Oaky Woods Wildlife Management Area, and people have had concerns about what the solar farm might do to the bear population. 

Chief Commercial Officer of Silicon Ranch Matt Beasley had the chance to speak in favor of the solar farm. 

“The public dialogue and debate over SR Robins is healthy, and what it demonstrates is that people in this community care about Houston County and so do we at Silicon Ranch,” Beasley said. 

Silicon Ranch has been in Houston County for about three years. 

“Out of all of our locations in Georgia and across this country, we chose Houston Solar because of this rich agriculture legacy to be our flagship and to be the new standard and new best practices for how our industry can blend renewable energy generation with agricultural production,” he said. “Over the past three years, we have partnered with Georgia Farmers, educational and research institutions, and non-profit organizations to develop an innovative program that, here in Houston County, is literally the first of its kind on the planet.” 

Beasley then shared a few things SR Robins plans to do if approved by the Board. He said SR Robins is not in the WMA (Wildlife Management Area), but on an adjacent private property. 

“Our aim at SR Robins is to make sure that it is the most compatible with the neighboring WMA. Therefore, just as we set out to make Houston Solar, best practice for how renewable energy generation and agricultural production can coexist together and thrive together. Our aim is to make SR Robins the model, the new standard for best practices on how renewable energy can support wildlife habitat,” he said. “Our plan for SR Robins allows for permanent conservation for more than 2,500 acres as wildlife corridors, corridors that will remain open and accessible to many different species of wildlife for at least the next four decades.” 

Beasley then said SR Robins will collaborate with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to ensure the corridors’ effectiveness. 

In closing, Beasley requested the Board to defer the vote to give Silicon Ranch more time to “iron out the details as necessary regarding the issues of these potential partnerships.” 

Commissioner Shane Gottwals posed a question to Beasley regarding what is keeping the opposition unhappy despite the claims of having a place where the bears can roam on the property.

“That is why more than anything, I’ve requested more time today because if I could go back, my colleagues and I would have spent more time educating folks about our intentions behind this project,” Beasley said. 

Chairman Dan Perdue asked why Silicon Ranch chose this site near Oaky Woods. Beasley said, firstly, it’s about access and transmission. Also, Beasley mentioned it was easy to work with the landowners and that they wanted to invest in Houston County again. 

Of the opposition, Commissioners first heard from Ben Carr, a graduate student from the University of Georgia who has studied bear populations, specifically in the Central Georgia area for the last two years. He gave a brief PowerPoint presentation about the bear population in Central Georgia. 

“I think any loss of habitat that’s further especially for an area that’s been proven and important for denning and raising cubs is a cause for concern and a loss of critical habitat for a population that is already struggling,” Carr said. 

Ray Jones used to work for the Department of Natural Resources and spoke in opposition to SR Robins. Jones said former Governor Sonny Perdue purchased 10,000 acres in Oaky Woods to preserve the bear habitat. 

“If you look at all the land around, including the 4700 acres, you’re looking at roughly 15,000 acres,” he said. “If that is lost, then we’ve lost one third of the bear habitat that they need to survive. This will be detrimental to these bears if this happens as we should be here to preserve our natural resources, not to mention the green space that we’re losing.” 

Jones said the corridors SR Robins planned to make for the bears would not be a place for them to den. 

“I do not think this project is good for bears or for our wildlife in general,” he said. “I think this project will hurt our bear population in a big way because they are isolated.” 

After numerous people spoke in opposition to SR Robins, the Commissioners voted unanimously to disapprove the solar farm. 

“I don’t know that I’ve heard enough at this point to make me feel comfortable with the ramifications as far as what’s going to happen with a solar farm,” Commissioner Gail Robinson said. “I think there’s a way to go for the county and the people in the county would be satisfied with these two, wildlife management areas and this solar farm be compatible.” 

Also in the meeting, the Commissioners heard from Defense Logistics Agency Aviation Commander Colonel Craig Giles. He said the Defense Logistics Agency is not actually part of the Air Force. 

“The base down here does so many repairs on aircraft that they have such a demand for parts that the DLA (Defense Logistics Agency) actually puts a detachment down here,” Giles said. 

Giles came from Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington and has served for 27 years. 

“At 30 years as a Colonel, they kick you out whether you’ve done a good job or not,” he said. 

Giles has about three years left of service and said that he and his wife want to retire in Middle Georgia. 

“We didn’t know where we wanted to retire and we were looking around and the last time that we were really happy where we lived was in Central Georgia,” he said. 

Giles mentioned one of the main reasons he is choosing to retire here is the community support the people in Middle Georgia give to our military service members. 

“I’ve spent lots of time in different States around the U.S. and living overseas for seven years, and there is no other community that I’ve lived in that has this kind of support for the military,” he said. “Thank you for all you do to support us.” 

After Giles’ speech, the Commissioners shared words of gratitude. 

“Thank you for your service and willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom,” Commissioner Tal Talton said. 

“We appreciate your service and we are proud to be the host community to Robins Air Force Base, and please let us know if we can do anything,” Commissioner Mark Byrd said. 

The next Houston County Commissioners meeting will be Sept. 17, 5 p.m, at 200 Carl Vinson Parkway. To see the agenda in full go to houstoncountyga.gov/minutes/2024-09-03%20Department%20Head%20Copy.pdf