Residents are divided on a solar project planned for the Town of Bainbridge. (File photo)

BAINBRIDGE – Bainbridge residents are torn over a proposed 25-megawatt solar project to be constructed near the town and village border.

The project, potentially to receive financial assistance from the Chenango County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA), appears at a standstill while CCIDA board members contemplate community feedback offered by locals during a public hearing held at Bainbridge Town Hall earlier this month. The CCIDA has held off on a vote to approve tax breaks for the project which may upend developers’ decision to move forward with their proposal.

Payne Solar Farm, a subsidiary of CSG Developers and the LLC behind the Bainbridge initiative, is seeking tax exemptions from the CCIDA for materials used in construction, along with property tax abatements that would extend over the next 20 years – all of which are crucial to drive the project forward, according to company spokesmen. In return, Payne Solar says the county would benefit from temporary and permanent jobs created, local services used, as well as a share of clean energy produced and distributed to local municipalities.

Nevertheless, some locals and Bainbridge village officials have concerns ranging from benefits of the project for area residents, to tax and environmental impacts, to the effects that the project may have on municipal services.