School District Tidies Up Area Around Maine Memorial Solar Field

Only three months after it went online, conditions at a new solar facility next to a school in the town of Maine were generating some concern from nearby residents.

The operator of a business located just south of the site on Route 26 this week said the grounds around the system had been neglected with "weeds everywhere." He said "it's a disaster."

The solar array was built on property owned by the Maine-Endwell School District. It's adjacent to the Maine Memorial Elementary School.

District superintendent Jason Van Fossen acknowledged scrub brush had grown around the facility. He said the district consulted with Renovus Solar, its partner on the solar project to discuss the issue.

A worker clearing the perimeter at the solar farm on Route 26 in Maine on June 30, 2021. (Photo: Provided to WNBF News)

Over the past few days, appropriate equipment was brought to the site and the growth has been cleared.

Van Fossen said the district now plans to mow around the solar system on a regular basis.

The facility consists of 6,240 solar panels on a 15-acre site. The facility is designed to generate enough electricity to meet the school district's needs.

The solar generating system next to Maine Memorial Elementary School on July 2, 2021. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 772-8400 extension 233.

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