Christian County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam appeared on WHOP Monday morning and talked infrastructure and the Dogwood Solar Project.
After much community input, hearings and informational forums, the Kentucky State Board on Electric Generation and Transmission Siting ruled in favor of Oriden, who are looking to construct a solar panel farm in northern Christian County in the Dogwood Community. That ruling comes with heavy stipulations—the company must follow 33 rules when constructing their project, including a strict construction schedule, implementation of security fencing, creation of visual buffers including vegetation and much more.
Judge Gilliam says that also includes strict adherence to the county’s ordinance concerning solar projects.
He says he knows there are community members unhappy with the ruling, and there will be an informational meeting on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at New Barren Springs Baptist Church.
Judge Gilliam recently traveled to Frankfort and Washington D.C. to speak with state and federal leaders to make sure they know what is happening in western Kentucky and what the county’s needs are. He says they’re hopeful to get some money back into the state budget that would allow a feasibility study to be conducted on widening I-24.
He says he believes widening I-24 will be something badly needed in the future, and it’s wise to get the conversation on it started now.
He says discussion are already underway about that project in Tennessee, so he wants to be sure that Kentucky—and Christian County—don’t fall behind, which would include create traffic problems on this side of the state line.