As I See It: Will the real Marcellus please stand up . . .

by Kay Schten McAdam, Editor
The Marcellus News
Please note the use of a personal pronoun in the headline. . .

Wednesday, July 3, 2024, was a delightful day for The News on both a professional and personal level. I got to hang out with John Mooy, Marcellus’ most ardent supporter, who with son-in-law Luke Slattery, hopes to showcase our fair community to the nation if not the world via a podcast.

However, does the Marcellus John remember so fondly – keep in mind he graduated from MHS in 1964 – bear any resemblance to Marcellus in 2024? 

That, my friends, is the conundrum. . . just who or what is Marcellus?

Is Marcellus merely a geographical delineation between Village and Township, or is it a community that spans multiple municipalities?

The difference between John and me – besides at least a decade of experience – is that John’s a town kid and I’m a farm kid. John grew up at the corner of Elm and Centre, while I grew up at the corner of Dutch Settlement and Savage Road on a farm that spanned both Marcellus and Newberg townships.  So, is John Marcellus and I am not? 

We both graduated from Marcellus High School. Both of us had family members who lived and worked in the Village. If anyone would ask either of us, “where are you from?”, we would both answer “Marcellus.”  

So, who or what is Marcellus? Is it proper for both John and me to say, “I am”?

As I see it, Marcellus is on a cusp of sorts. We’ve seen, read and heard much about economic development, historic preservation, and revitalization; however, “we” do not seem to be – excuse the cliché – on the same page.

So, just who are “we?” 

Are we the community defined as “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common,” or do we engender a “feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals?”

As I see it lately, it appears to be more the former than the latter. The particular characteristic we have in common might merely be a zip code. I see common interest and goals in the pursuit of better infrastructure, financial stability, and economic growth, but a “feeling of fellowship” does not appear to be among the mix. 

To backtrack a bit, the first edition of The Marcellus News published under my name was May 6, 2021. For the past three years, I’ve attended the majority of Marcellus Village Council meetings, Marcellus Township meetings, and Marcellus DDA meetings. Any absences were either due to 1) a vacation or 2) MHS varsity basketball season. In March, I completed my 12th season as a volunteer for the basketball program. 

Let’s just say, I’ve seen and heard a lot. And, yes, I tape record each meeting so I can verify my notes and provide accuracy when transcribing quotes.  

As I see it, “What we’ve got here is… failure to communicate.” 

“We” need to up our game as Governor Whitmer stated in her release issued July 14 in the wake of the assassination attempt on the life of former President Donald Trump:

The shooting of former President Trump was a disgusting act of violence that caps off an alarming, years-long trend in our politics. There have been incidents we all know: a shooting at a practice for the Congressional baseball game, the plot to kidnap and kill me, the storming of the Capitol, and an in-home assault on the former Speaker of the House’s husband. 

Behind all these incidents is rhetoric. We have seen calls to hate, harm, or jail political opponents. Violent conspiracies from the seediest corners of the internet have become incorporated into stump speeches. We have lost the plot when it comes to the way we talk to each other and about each other. 

No matter your age, you have been impacted by this trend. This vitriol has infiltrated our lives. It’s broken relationships and marriages; friendships and families. Almost everyone can think of someone they don’t talk to anymore because of politics. I’ve met with Michiganders across the state who are living these consequences every day. There’s just a deep-rooted sense of anger and distrust. 

Marcellus is not excluded from this tragedy of “anger and distrust.”

As I see it, we’ve got trouble right here in River City (apologies to Robert Preston). With a capital “T” and that rhymes with “P” and that stands for . . . panel.

The panel in question refers to the solar panels that will possibly be used in the Solar Project moving its way through the necessary regulatory hoops in Marcellus Township.

Before proceeding, let’s just get this out of the way. . .  The Marcellus News wholeheartedly supports the upcoming solar project that would encompass approximately 1,400 fenced in acres around Marcellus.

The $240 million project is huge – huger than huge. It’s so huge, it’s difficult to ascertain where to begin, so let’s start with the panels.

The Resolution passed by the Village of Marcellus Council on July 9, 2024, was created due to the Village’s concern over potential negative impacts of a solar farm in the vicinity of the Wellhead Protection Area along M-40. Fair enough.

As I see it, what could be perceived as a bit curious is that the Village is just now “urging Marcellus Township to review its own Groundwater Protection Ordinance which requires site plan review standards for groundwater protection” and “. . .to consider the Township’s own Groundwater Protection Ordinance and require the development to include mitigation to curb any potential contamination of the both the Township and Village’s groundwater.” Fair enough, but why now?

Ranger Power, the developer of the solar project, has been in the community working with the Township, landowners, and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) since 2021 doing just that. Three years of scrutiny by the state and township.

Local municipalities no longer have total jurisdiction over the development of solar farms thanks to a law passed in 2023 that “reduces local governments’ authority to block wind and solar projects.” It is a state supervised, state licensed operation – very similar to the cannabis industry. A municipality or individual can’t just plop a bunch of solar panels in a field and call it good.

In all good conscience, is it really fair to think the members of the Township Board would willingly and knowingly vote to install potentially hazardous materials in close proximity to the Village’s Wellhead Protection Area?

The term “cadmium” has come up quite often in this discussion at Village Council meetings, because cadmium, without a doubt, is a toxic chemical. Cadmium alone, however, is not used in the manufacture of solar panels in the United States.

According to Tucker Atkinson, Development Manager, Ranger Power, “There is one manufacturer in the US (First Solar) that manufactures cadmium telluride panels. Cadmium telluride differs from cadmium on its own and, as with polysilicon, does not pose any risk of hazard or contamination.

“We have not determined the specifications of the panels that will be used here since we’re still a couple years from construction start, but at this point, we expect that we will use polysilicon panels, which do not contain cadmium telluride.”

And the bulk of polysilicon panels are recyclable.

So, no determination yet on the exact properties of the panels for the project. But what about their placement? 

Ranger Power has approximately 2,200 acres under agreement in Marcellus Township. The footprint of the site design that has been submitted to the Township is 1500 acres. Atkinson estimates that the project will, in the end, encompass 1400 fenced in acreage. And, yes, they will conduct water tests after the construction is completed which will be submitted to the Township.

Ranger Power and the Township are well aware that some of the acres under agreement are close to the Village’s Wellhead Protection Area. That acreage is most likely to be part of the “shrinkage area” and will not have solar panels on it.

Are you still with me? I mentioned that this project was huger than huge. . .

“It’s a preservation mechanism,” Atkinson says. “It protects farmland from long term development.”

The solar projects are designed to protect agricultural ground. There will be no concrete footings poured for the panels. Atkinson says the panels are installed on steel I-beams, which at the end of the 20-year life of the project, are easily removed from the ground and the parcel is returned to farmland. No rezoning would be necessary as it will remain ag-production.

And the best part? As I see it – cha ching! 

Not to sound crass, but the amount of revenue that is expected from this project is eye-popping: $150 – $200 thousand per year in renewal fees alone, $1-2 million per year in additional tax revenue, and Marcellus’ most precious and important resident, the Marcellus Community Schools, could see additional annual revenue in the amount of $445,500. 

The schools would benefit from the lifting of Homesteading on current farmland. If you’re a farmer, you get it.  Most farmland is Homesteaded meaning it is exempt from paying the 18 mils of school tax each year. Once the solar project begins, the Homestead exemption is removed, and Ranger Power will be responsible for paying the 18 mils of school tax. 

It has been stated at Village Council meetings that some residents don’t feel as if they’re looked upon as township residents even though the Village is smack dab in the middle of the Township – and they pay both Village and Township taxes. I can understand. I don’t feel as if I’m looked upon as a member of the Village even though I pay property taxes to both municipalities and own and operate what appears to be Marcellus’ oldest continuously operating business. As the Vice President of the Marcellus Area Historical Society, I’ve been waiting for eleven months – yes, that’s 11 months – to be issued a Special Use Permit to open the historic G. W. Jones house at the corner of Jones and Main as a public museum. 

Nevertheless, the Township does provide revenue to entities within the Village limits. In 2023, the Township provided $30 thousand dollars to the ambulance service and another $50 thousand in 2024. Where would “we” be without that financial support? Keep in mind, too, that the library is a township library; the Hudson building is the Marcellus Township Hudson Memorial Building. If we don’t “feel” as if we’re part of the township, perhaps participation is one key method of helping to change that. The Hudson Memorial Board could really use a new member or two.

So, how did this potential good fortune find its way to Marcellus?

Thank a farmer. 

Thank you, Dean McKenzie and family.

A few years back, a fellow from Texas stopped unannounced at the McKenzies and presented a proposal for a solar farm worth a substantial amount of money. This piqued Dean’s curiosity and he started to research the possibilities of solar farming. He contacted Ranger Power which had a project going in Saginaw. At the time, they were too tied up in other projects to consider anything near Marcellus, but a month or so later, they wanted to talk and here “we” are today.

“We’re evolving,” McKenzie says. “This is a stepping stone to other types of energy. Wind turbines and solar panels are not the answer. We’re on our way to using nuclear fission and hydrogen.”

McKenzie, a member of the Wellhead Protection Committee, sees more risk to the Village’s water supply by, say, a derailed train than installation of a solar farm. And, as a farmer, he is well aware of potential risks to soil and water. His research, and that of Ranger Power, EPA, the Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, universities across the country, among others, are giving a thumbs-up to solar. 

Does he feel badly that this has become such a contentious issue between the Village and Township? Of course, because, from what research shows today, the benefits outweigh the risks.

“This will benefit the community,” McKenzie says, “if the community works together. If we don’t, we’ll end up a ghost town with pretty lights and a nice sidewalk.”

So, Marcellus, who are “we”? And who do “we” want to be?

On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at 6:00pm, there is a joint meeting and public hearing at the Marcellus Township Hall between the Marcellus Township Board and Township Planning Commission concerning the Special Land Use requests by Ranger Power. At the July 9 Council meeting, Village President Dennis Irwin urged council members to attend.

Therefore, I urge everyone who identifies as “Marcellus” to attend. I won’t be in attendance. I’m going camping. Therefore, I’ll leave it up to “Marcellus” to let me know if everybody plays nice that evening. I, for one, am tired of the sniping and need a break.