A company who wants to create two solar panel fields in Franklin and Mahoning townships is being told that a lot of work still needs to be done before plans could move forward.

The Carbon County Planning Commission has recommended plan rejection for Bollinger Solar LLC’s plans for the two arrays of ground mounted solar panels. One proposed site is at 208 Memorial Drive, Franklin Township, while the other proposed site is at 560 Country Club Road, Mahoning Township.

According to the plan reviews, for the Franklin Township plan, the owner is Lehighton Site LLC with Bollinger acting as the developer. It calls for developing 37.005 acres with ground mounted solar panels with connections to two utility sites and an existing PPL pole and utility lines.

Ivan O. Meixell Jr., county planner, noted in his review that the site is the former Lehighton Electronics land and that the solar panels are proposed to be placed on top of the existing primary sewage system and stormwater detention outfall.

He pointed out that while the lot size conforms to the project, many other issues need to be addressed.

Some of these include preparing an existing resources and site analysis plan; submitting various plans related to Subdivision and Land Development ordinance sections for soil erosion, stormwater management, highway occupancy permit, natural diversity index and more.

Meixell also addressed the steep slopes on the existing property and recommended that the Franklin Township fire chief review the plans to make sure emergency vehicles would be able to access the arrays in an emergency.

In the Mahoning Township proposed plan, the owner is Mahoning Site LLC with Bollinger being the developer.

The plans call for creating an array of ground mounted solar panels with connections to two utility sites and an existing PPL pole and utility lines on an existing agricultural/residential land tract of the Concerned Treatment for Boys complex.

Meixell noted that the solar panels are proposed to be located within the 100-year flood plain on the southern portion of the property.

Like the Franklin Township plan, Meixell found several areas that must be addressed before the project could be recommended for approval.

He again pointed out steep slopes on the property, areas of SALDO noncompliance and access to the site by emergency vehicles and recommended plan rejection.

Comments from the two projects have now been sent to the corresponding township for inclusion in further discussion with municipal officials, the applicant and engineers.