June 23, 2026 – Town of Trenton, Wi — For Dennis and Lynn Schloemer, the discussion about converting roughly 25 acres of their Town of Trenton land into a community solar farm did not happen overnight. The couple, both in their 70s, say the decision came only after years of consideration, extensive research and a careful look at how they hope to spend their retirement while preserving a property that has been in the Schloemer family for more than 140 years.
“The family has been on that property since the late 1880s,” said Dennis Schloemer, who moved back to the family homestead in 1999. “It has been in the Schloemer family for five-plus generations.”
For Lynn Schloemer, the solar proposal is tied directly to keeping that story alive.
“We had a couple opportunities to sell the property, but we didn’t want to sell the house,” she said. “We want to still keep it in the family because we’ve been there for so long.”
The Schloemers currently lease farmland to a local farmer, an arrangement that has been in place since their barn burned in 1980.
However, she said the lease arrangement generates little income beyond covering the property’s tax bill.
“The money we get for leasing our land is only enough for our taxes,” she said. “We don’t make anything extra on it. If our taxes are $3,000 a year, we only get $3,000 a year from the farmer that leases it.”
Lynn said the solar project could provide the financial stability needed to retire.
“There’s enough finances in there for us so I can finally retire at the age of 72,” she said.
She said the couple’s concerns are practical and tied to the realities of aging.
“I paid for an attorney to go over that contract,” she said, referring to the proposed lease agreement. “Every five years, we reassess it on how much the rental fee is. With the increase of everything going up for all of us, I don’t want to get to a point where I have to worry if I’m not working. Can I afford to buy our medication?”
The proposal has also reopened memories of a major change that transformed the once-rural setting around their home.
The Schloemers recall when nearby farmland was developed into a large residential subdivision by Belinski Homes.
According to Dennis, construction activity began in earnest around 2003 and continued for years as more than 100 homes were built near the family’s land.
“Nobody ever asked our permission or what we would prefer when it came to putting in the Belinski subdivision next to us,” Dennis said.
The changes dramatically altered the landscape and lifestyle the family had known for decades.
“We have no privacy anymore,” Lynn said. “The noise from the public park that they put in right next to us is overwhelming at times.”
She said the family has experienced ongoing issues with trespassing since the subdivision and park were developed.
“We have so much trespassing going on on our private driveway and through our farm fields,” she said. “We have people that use our driveway with their UTVs to have access to their backyard. We have kids that climb the trees on our property between our farmland and the city park.”
Dennis said he believes the solar project would create far less disturbance than the neighboring residential development.
“When their air conditioners or their furnaces kick on, there’s more noise that comes from all of those houses along that driveway than what’s even going to come from those solar panels,” he said.
Lynn said she spent years researching solar energy before deciding to move forward.
“When I first became interested and started getting all these letters years ago, I did a lot, a lot of research,” she said.
A key factor was finding a Wisconsin-based company.
“I did research with SunVest Solar,” she said. “A number of companies contacted us, but I wanted to stay local in Wisconsin, not somebody from Boston or somebody from Ohio. We wanted to keep jobs in Wisconsin.”
Lynn said she reviewed projects completed by the company in the West Bend area and carefully scrutinized the proposed agreement before signing anything.
The Schloemers also emphasize that the proposed project is designed as a community solar farm.
“We want to stay a community solar farm, and that’s why it’s staying small,” Lynn said. “The residents will benefit of this lower energy. Not businesses, but residents.”
According to Dennis, the electricity generated would be fed into the local grid and remain in the area.
“It’s staying here,” he said. “It’s staying in the community.”
The couple also view the project as a way to give a portion of the land a break after generations of agricultural use.
“The land needs to rest,” Lynn said. “It’s been farmed for over 140 years. Mother Nature needs to rest.”
While public discussion about the proposal has drawn both support and opposition, the Schloemers said they understand not everyone will agree with their decision.
Still, after weighing their options, they believe the solar project offers a path that allows them to remain on the family homestead while avoiding future residential development on the property.
“We don’t want to have homes built on our property,” Lynn said. “We don’t want that at all.”
There was a large crowd at Monday night’s public hearing on the solar panel issue. After 30 minutes of public comment, the town plan commission asked for clarification on noise, vehicle access, zoning code, and increasing the number of trees as a barrier… among other things.
The plan commission voted to postpone making any decision until more information was provided. It is likely the next meeting on the issue will be in August 2026.
