Town of Trenton, WI – On Monday, June 22, 2026, there will be a public hearing in the Town of Trenton regarding a conditional use permit for a large-scale solar installation at 5510 River Road. Property owner Dennis Schloemer wants to install 5 MW solar panels on approximately 25.18 acres of his 40-acre parcel.
Neighbors who live in the Prairie Meadow subdivision in the City of West Bend, WI, just south of Paradise Drive off River Road have some reservations and concerns about the development.
According to the map, the proposed solar farm is directly adjacent to subdivision properties and Prairie Meadow city park.
Some of the issues neighbors have concerns about include heavy equipment traffic and noise during construction, and the possible effects a solar farm has on wildlife – particularly bird migration and habitat.
Other concerns were about the proximity to high voltage transformers, chemicals used in soil preparation, and unwelcome noise pollution. Reportedly the solar equipment may make a steady hum and the panels could make a clicking sound as they move to follow the sun.
The proposed solar farm may contain between 8,000 and 12,000 panels.
Trenton Town Chairman Mike Lipscomb has been doing his due diligence researching the solar farm proposal and said he is aware of the concerns of neighbors.
Lipscomb said he also received support from neighbors about the project. Several letters to the Town Board are posted below.
Andrew Aldred
1722 Cloverview Street West Bend, WI 53095 June 22, 2026
To: Members of the Town of Trenton Board
Re: Opposition to Proposed 5 MW Solar Farm Development Dear Town Board Members,
I am writing to express my concerns regarding the proposed 5 MW solar farm development in our community and to respectfully request that the Town Board carefully consider the impacts this project will have on neighboring property owners before granting approval.
My residence is located adjacent to the private gravel access road that will be used by construction vehicles, equipment haulers, concrete trucks, and other heavy traffic associated with the construction of the solar facility. While I understand the importance of renewable energy development, I believe the current proposal places an unfair burden on nearby residents and does not adequately address the impacts that will result from construction and ongoing operation.
My primary concerns include:
1. Construction Traffic and Road Impacts
The private gravel road bordering my property will serve as the primary access route for construction activities. Construction of a 5 MW solar facility will require substantial truck traffic over an extended period, including delivery of solar panels, racking systems, transformers, electrical equipment, concrete, and other materials.
This heavy vehicle traffic will likely create:
• Significant dust affecting nearby homes and outdoor living areas.
• Increased noise from trucks, trailers, and construction equipment.
• Potential road deterioration requiring maintenance and repairs.
• Reduced quality of life for neighboring residents during the construction period. • Safety concerns for residents, pedestrians, pets, and local traffic.
I request that the Town require a detailed construction traffic management plan, dust control measures, road maintenance agreements, and limitations on construction hours to minimize impacts on nearby homeowners.
2. Need for Increased Setbacks
I am also requesting that the Town require larger setbacks than those currently proposed for all solar farm equipment and infrastructure. This should include solar arrays, inverters, transformers, battery storage systems (if applicable), substations, security fencing, and any other associated equipment.
Additional setbacks are necessary to:
• Reduce visual impacts on neighboring properties.
• Minimize operational noise from inverters and transformers.
• Protect adjacent property values.
• Provide greater separation between industrial-scale energy infrastructure and residential properties.
• Preserve the rural character of the area.
The proposed facility is a commercial utility-scale development. As such, it should be held to a higher standard for buffering and separation from neighboring residences.
3. Protection of Neighboring Property Owners
Residents living closest to the project will bear the greatest impacts while receiving few direct benefits. The Town should ensure that the interests of existing property owners are protected
through meaningful setbacks, landscaping requirements, road-use agreements, and enforceable operating conditions.
I respectfully request that the Town Board deny approval of the project unless additional protections are included, specifically:
• Increased setbacks for all solar farm equipment and infrastructure.
• Enhanced vegetative screening and landscaping requirements.
• A road maintenance and repair agreement covering damage caused by construction traffic. • Dust suppression measures during construction.
• Restrictions on construction hours and days of operation.
• Ongoing monitoring and enforcement of noise standards.
Thank you for your consideration of these concerns. I appreciate the opportunity to provide input and ask that this letter be entered into the official record for the proposed solar farm application.
Sincerely,
Andrew Aldred ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jay Johnston<[email protected]> TownAdmin
As a homeowner in Trenton I wanted to express my concerns regarding the Conditional use Permit application.
I di a little research and Mr. Jacob VanDomelen has other Solar Farms applications pending in Sheboygan County Town of Lyndon for a 5 MW Solar Facility. And he appears to be employed by Sun Vest Solar LLC.
What does it mean? Not sure but what are the intentions of this company.
A 5 MW solar facility requires 25-35 acres of land. A 5-million-Watt Facility requires anywhere from 15,000 to 25,000 solar panels depending on the solar panel wattage. How many solar panels will this project require? Can you imagine 25,000 solar panels “1,000 solar panels per acre” that would be quite the eye sore. Also, before this project can be voted on the town needs to ask for a Community Benefits Agreement from the developer or applicant.
What exactly will the benefits be to the community in terms of : revenue, tax, employment, using local contractors… This is a very important step prior to any discussion on this proposal.
This proposed 5MW Solar Facility will generate up to $1,000,000 annually “again how does our community benefit” We see the benefit to the landowner and the company building the facility but what’s our benefit?
Why Trenton WI.?
Research indicates Trenton WI has 4.5 peak sun hours daily, that’s sufficient for a 5MW facility. But 4.5 psh’s very common in the United States. I ask, what other reasons are there for locating in Trenton WI?
Are there tax breaks being offered, is there a nearby transmission line connection point for this proposed solar farm? We need to know how many miles of transmission lines will be needed for this facility.
Also are there proposed setbacks for this farm? Is there landscaping / screening proposed to hide the visual impact of seeing 20,000 solar panels. As a homeowner, I’m open to solar development but not at the cost of its citizens . Citizens are not cattle we want to a list of expectations and have those expectations to bet met in contractual form.
A citizens Benefit Agreement is absolutely necessary before any project can move forward. Trenton is a special place, future generations are depending on us to make the right decisions.
In my opinion there is nothing worse than one or two parties asking for rezoning and the only beneficiaries of the rezoning are those one or two parties.
“How do the citizens of the community also benefit.” That should be written on a plaque and hung in every administration office in Trenton WI.
Keep up the good work,
Jay Johnston
Business Sponsorship | Wisconsin Public Radio
email: [email protected] mobile: 414.202.1961
1243 N. 10th St. Suite 100 Milwaukee WI 53203
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chris Merkel<[email protected]> TownAdmin
Thank you for soliciting public feedback on the proposed solar farm. I am a resident of the Prairie Meadow subdivision, live along the access road that would lead to and from the site.
I would like to express my support for this project as a neighbor to it, and provide brief reasons why:
1. Economic freedom and free markets: I believe property owners should be entitled to seek the maximum utility of their property, provided such use does not cause undue financial harm to the community. This land is currently farmed, and unfortunately, farmland profitability has declined precipitously since 2024, due to tariffs and trade restrictions imposed by the Federal Government. This is evidenced by Wisconsin farm bankruptcies rising 46% in less than two years. Given the current economic hardship farmers face, I fully support reasonable actions to regain long term economic stability.
2. Lack of any material harm to the community: While there is strong evidence that the average value of a home may fall up to 1.5% for those homes in the vicinity, it’s worth noting that the home values in Washington County have risen an average of 98.6% in the last ten years. Such a minor reduction in value would still result in a ten-year rate of increase exceeding that of the rest of the state. I do not believe this represents a level of harm high enough to warrant hurting the landowners’ long-term economic prospects by denying approval.
3. Environmental impact: Row-crop farming, which is currently how the land is used, requires the use of heavy nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, as well as continuous use of herbicides and pesticides. This change in use will reduce runoff into nearby streams and decrease groundwater contamination.
4. Regulatory predictability: The town has concluded that the proposed use is consistent with allowed activities under Town zoning statutes. For a community to be economically prosperous, freedom in use must be joined with consistency in regulation. Denying this use permit would demonstrate that the Town does not act consistently within the bounds established by law and municipal codes. This sends a message to others seeking to live and do business in Trenton that Trenton has an unpredictable regulatory environment, which will discourage further economic investment into the community, favoring more reliable adjacent communities.
While I recognize the distaste for the change in scenery, the disdain for some forms of energy production, I do not believe, for reasons outlined above, that aesthetic or political motivations warrant sufficient weight to deny the use. For these reasons, I support this, and appreciate the willingness of the Town in seeking input from community members outside of the Town’s borders.
Sincerely,
Chris Merkel, 1710 Cloverview St.
The solar farm, according to Lipscomb, would not be visible from the road.
The public hearing at the Trenton Town Hall, 1071 Highway 33, begins at 6:45 p.m. on Monday, June 22, 2026. The meeting is free and open to the public.
