HomeMy WebLinkAboutI - 12 Solar Correspondence - Soshinsky61115 (ze
RECEIVED JUN 10 1011
4040 Soshinsky Road
McGraw, NY 13101
June 8, 2022
Tom Williams
Cortlandville Supervisor
The Raymond G. Thorpe Municipal Building
3577 Terrace Road
Cortland, NY 13045
Dear Supervisor Williams
I'm a proud lifelong resident of Cortland County. I call my dairy farming land "God's Acres." I write this letter as a
proud member of this community. to express my support of the Homer Solar Energy Center. We desperately need
growth in our community. This project will bring much needed revenue, jobs, and support for agriculture across
Cortland County, including in the towns of Homer, Cortlandville and Solon.
I stand in support of a financial offer from EDF Renewables for a PILOT and host community agreement that will
deliver tremendous benefits directly to Cortlandville -- benefits that are greater than our town would see under
full taxation. I know you agree this would be a step in the right direction for Cortlandville and is something we can
all get behind. I urge you to express the town's support of the proposal to the Cortland County IDA713oard and
allow this project to move forward.
I see the many benefits this project will bring to the community including nearly $10 million in direct payments to
the Towns of Homer, Cortlandville, and Solon and associated school districts in just the first 20 years of operation.
Once up and running, with the PILOT and Host Community Agreement, the land that Homer Solar will sit on will
generate nearly five times the amount of revenue than it currently does. Homer Solar will also create up to 150
union construction jobs. And after construction wraps, there will be three full-time positions during the
operational life of the project.
EDF is taking the lowest quality farmland and making It productive again with a solar farm. By producing energy
through solar, this will benefit society and New York State. I've gotten involved in timber management just to pay
my taxes and this project will allow for the timber to re -grow and pay our taxes through the Homer Solar Energy
Center. I had no other choice but to sell hundreds of acres of my land just to pay my taxes.
Through land agreements, the Homer Solar Energy Center will support the agricultural economy by providing me,
landowners, and farmers like me, with a stable source of income. Homer Solar presents a timely opportunity for
Cortland County famers to keep land in their families as economic pressures drive many farms out of business.
Solar is commensurate land use that provides greater economic output than the land currently provides. And when
the leases expire, the land will return to its original state.
The Homer Solar Energy Center isn't only about us, but our children and families for generations to come. I love
this town and community. I hope we can count on your support for this project moving forward. I urge you to
support the Homer Solar project.
Tha k�q, you, ,
John Soshinsky