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 The company recently sought to construct a wind
farm in Logan County, and needs to be granted a
conditional use permit to do so. The application was denied by the
Logan County Board in February due to a tie vote among the members.
In April, Relight returned to the county to hold community
informational meetings on their proposed revisions to the project
and gather feedback on the potential project. Following those
meetings, Relight filed a new application, which requires a new
hearing process.
Chairman Doug Thompson began by saying that this is a brand new
application hearing, not a continuation of the previous one. In
June, the Logan County Regional Planning Commission unanimously
voted to recommend approving the new wind farm application.
 Wayne Woo and William Kelsey were present at the hearing on behalf
of Relight. Relight is based in Italy, and they are the developers
behind the Meridien Wind Farm. Woo is one of the owners of Relight,
and Kelsey is a consultant Relight has hired for the project.
According to the proposed revisions, the wind farm would still
consist of 81 wind turbines. The towers would generate a little
under two megawatts, which is reduced from the three-megawatt towers
in the previous application. The towers would measure under 492
feet, although a specific number was not given; a number as low as
427 feet was mentioned in the presentation.
Setbacks from houses would average at 2,100 feet, and would generate
ten percent less sound at night than the legal limits.
In total, including a one-quarter mile footprint, the
project would encompass 22,500 acres. The project would represent a
$300 million investment in the county, including $44 million in
property taxes over twenty-five years.
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For a little under three hours, the Zoning Board
listened to testimony from the Relight representatives, from citizens concerned
about the project, and from supporters of the wind farm. Among the discussed
concerns were the potential for noise, possible effects on property values, and
the amount of money that could come into the county.
At the end of the night, Thompson called an end to
the hearing until the 8th of July, at which point the
hearings will continue. A vote has not yet been taken on the application by the
ZBA.
A more detailed report will follow next week.
[Derek Hurley]
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