The Miami commissioners said they aren’t interested at this time in participating in a solar program offered through a state association.

The commission last summer heard about the solar program being developed by the County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO). The proposal was based on a preliminary review of county power bills and discussed with the commission by Bill Bradish of Palmer Energy.

A preliminary review of county power bills and any county owned property that might benefit from a program showed the juvenile detention and rehabilitation centers located between Troy and Piqua fit initial parameters.

Among those parameters were amount of kilowatt hours used per year and availability of acreage for the solar units. Bradish explained the units would be placed on property near the buildings, not on the buildings themselves.

The commission said March 23 during a discussion with Chris Johnson, county director of operations and facilities, they weren’t interested in the program

“Based on all the information that we have, the study that they did, the acreage that they would like to use, unless you tell me otherwise, I have no interest,” Commissioner John “Bud” O’Brien. He said the benefits do not outweigh the loss of acreage the county would have to give up for the project.

“The savings is nothing,” O’Brien said. He said he is interested in finding ways to make the county “greener,” but the CCAO proposal was not a good option at this point.

“At this time… the return does not justify giving up five to six acres of property,” Johnson said. He added there would be other opportunities for the county down the road.

Johnson said the county would be locked into the agreement for 25 years, and there was no detail on who would be responsible for dismantling solar panels and other equipment down the road.

Commissioner Richard Cultice said the county could need the land proposed for other purposes in the next decade or so.