When we came to Lawrenceburg for our latest Let's Talk event, you told us that solar farms were a great concern for you.A roughly 1,200 acre solar array in Manchester near Benning and Weisberg Roads became the focal point for ma ny. So, in the week since our event, we've been digging in and talking with people who live near the proposed build, a property owner who leased his land for use in the solar array and the company interested in developing the solar farm, Linea Energy.We visited the Ruehlmann family on their three and a half acre plot right next to where the solar panels could be built."We moved out here just for the peace and quiet and the rural area," Casey Ruehlmann said.We walked her property as she pointed at the horizon in every direction, showing where she believed the array would sit.WATCH: We take your concerns directly to the developer working on a solar array in Dearborn County 1,200 acre solar farm proposal draws concern from nearby residents"As far as we're aware, it's all the way around, and then 130 acres on the other side of this 36 acres, and over on the other side of our neighbor's house," she said.Her husband, Daniel Ruehlmann, sat with us at their kitchen table and said he worried they would lose out even if they moved."The biggest worry, too, is property values because if houses come in, I don't think that would lower the property value, so we could sell. This worries me a little bit," he said.The couple said they're not opposed to solar technology or renewable energy, but they don't want to see a massive facility next to their property and, if one is built, they said they'd like to see more neighbor-friendly rules put in place by Dearborn County officials, like larger setbacks and a cap on the total acreage of any one project."It's our home. It's our community. So, we kind of feel like that's being taken away from us," Casey said.While "STOP SOLAR FARMS" signs line the roadside along many properties, the project would never be possible if enough landowners weren't willing to lease their land for Linea's use.One property owner talked with us, but asked that we not use his identity.Are you a Dearborn County resident concerned about solar farms? Sean wants to hear from you:He said his family had already received harassment over their choice to lease their property."This is the first one I've ever dealt with," the landowner said as we sat in a dining room of a Manchester home.He said the conversation boiled down to one thing in his mind."I think it comes down to property rights," he said.The landowner didn't reveal specifics when it came to finances, but said the lease he signed with Linea was more profitable than a traditional farming lease, and that he believed the array would come with additional community benefits as well.Instead of a loss of what's traditionally been farmland, the man viewed it as land being preserved for future farm use once the solar farm is decommissioned and hauled away."My understanding is posts go in the ground, the arrays go on top, posts come back out and the soil has been built for 30 years," he said.That's what Linea Energy Development Director Chris Barry said would happen when the array reaches the end of its use."Our decommissioning plan requires that we pull all the equipment off to the landowners' specifications, returning that, probably, back to agricultural use, and our view is that after years of sitting fallow and without the use of tilling or fertilizer or herbicides, that land is going to be pretty prime for reversion back to farmland," Barry said.In the meantime, the director said there would be natural grass and pollinator plants on site, with the potential for dual use of the property as a sheep pasture."We have one land owner that we're talking to who's interested in doing that. We've also engaged with an outfit out of Franklin that has the ability to bring in the sheep. They estimate they would need about 2,000 sheep in order to maintain the site," he said.Linea plans to eventually generate 150 Megawatts of power from the site to be connected directly into the local power grid. Barry said there was no plan, at the moment, for on-site battery storage.He said they were still in the study phase and hadn't submitted any formal plan or proposal to Dearborn County regulators. He promised to work with people from the surrounding area once that stage began."We're obliged to," he said. "The permit process established in Dearborn County is not one that is granted by right. It's a special use permit. We have to work with the community."We asked the Ruehlmann family if they were satisfied, at least for now, with the commitment Barry made."I would like to believe that," Casey Ruehlmann said. "I hope we can believe that."Barry said they hoped to have formal applications in by the end of the year, with construction beginning in 2028 or 2029. ...read more read less