The construction of two solar farms near Neff and Erickson roads has sparked complaints from neighbors there.

“It’s very noisy here, even right now, and it’s been this way since 6 a.m.,” said Greg Jensen, who lives off Neff Road, next door to where the two 80-acre solar farms are being built. “It will continue this way until dark. Not all the impact is physical — there’s an emotional and mental thing, too. It’s like something in the background that you’re not used to. ‘Bangs’ and ‘booms,’ that kind of stuff,” he said Thursday.

Tom Collier, who owns the land that North Carolina-based Pine Gate Renewables’ solar project is being built on, has a different perspective.

“What people need to know is that any time there’s construction, there’s noise and dust, but it’s a one-time thing,” Collier said. “This is a long-term solar project that overall has a very strong positive.”

Still, concerns like Jensen’s aren’t isolated, and Deschutes County, along with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, has been making efforts to help keep residents appeased while the projects move forward.

At this point, the construction involves moving dirt and clearing trees and brush where solar panels will be installed over the next few months. The renewable energy projects are being built on land zoned for farming use, though the soil is rated by the state as rocky and having little agricultural potential. Under Oregon law, solar farms are allowed in such agricultural zones, as long as they meet certain criteria. However, the rocky soil can make for a lot of dust during construction.

Greg Svelund, DEQ spokesman, said the agency “is aware” of the impact that the two solar projects are having on people who live nearby. Steps have been taken to alleviate residents’ concerns, which mostly focus on the dust that construction has stirred up.

“We got a few complaints in September,” he said. “That’s when we talked to the company and asked them to put water trucks out there. Since then everything’s been mostly fine, except for last Monday (Oct. 24) — there was a windy day and a lot of dust. We got four or five more complaints that day.”

Svelund said no violations have occurred, and these types of complaints about new construction aren’t unusual. Peter Gatowski, planning manager for Deschutes County, said builders and project managers typically comply voluntarily with dust mitigation and any other issues that aren’t in accordance with land use permits.

“If (a project) is not in accordance, then at that point (Deschutes County Code Enforcement) will coordinate with the party and outline the issues that are in violation and request a meeting to address the issues,” he said.

Amy Berg Pickett, outreach and zoning manager for Cypress Creek Renewables, which has offices in Oregon and owns the other solar project, said she met with DEQ officials last week following the most recent spate of complaints. And although the five water trucks had already been put in place in September for keeping down the dust, Berg Pickett said she discussed other ways to help residents have their concerns addressed.

“They had some good ideas, like we should try and give out a public email that gives people access to contacting us more easily,” she said. “Just so that people can reach out more proactively, by hanging up a sign with the contact on it.”

Berg Pickett, who also does PR for Pine Gate Renewables, said other suggestions include watering the area continuously and slowing down equipment on especially windy days. But the biggest concern she hears from residents, Berg Pickett said, isn’t something the DEQ can address.

“The biggest concern is that people are upset by change, and they’re used to the (views) of this private land,” she said. “They’re used to walking their dogs, or looking out at a certain view.”

For Harland Hafter, who owns the land that Cypress Creek Renewables is building its solar farm on and lives in a house nearby, these concerns aren’t so pertinent. He maintains that the views will return once construction is complete and new trees are planted.

“What (Cypress Creek Renewables) is going to do with the end project, they’re going to make it look like a park,” he said. “It’ll be a very nice looking, aesthetically pleasing, as you drive down the road.”

And as far as the accessibility to his property goes, he has less sympathy.

“The people who are upset about it, unfortunately, are the ones trespassing on my property and they’re mad they can’t walk their dogs there anymore,” he said. “I’ve had cars dumped on my property — stolen cars — and trash has been dumped there, too. The new development is going to clean all that up.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7829,

awest@bendbulletin.com