County Briefs: Windfarm progression and road plans

 

[October 20, 2018] 

LINCOLN 

The Regular Logan County Board meeting in September included updates on the HillTopper Wind Farm project and approval of an addendum to the Construction Inspection agreement with Cummins Engineering.

Guests included Matt Birchby and Daniel Sheehan, who are working with the HillTopper Wind Farm project.

Planning and Zoning Committee Chairman Scott Schaffenacker said he had received an email on tile damage from construction for the HillTopper Wind Farm project. The number of damaged tiles is at least 240.

Matt Birchby of Swift Current Energy said there is a drainage tile repair plan that is part of the agreement with the landowners since there is an expectation that tiles will be broken during trenching. He said drainage tile firms are on site right behind the trenchers, marking the breaks physically and with GPS, and then repairing them on the spot.

Daniel Sheehan, who is also working with the project, said most of the damage occurred due to crane work as well as traffic having to be rerouted due to some relocation of the power lines. Putting in transmission lines and trench collection lines caused some of the damage in different areas. Sheehan said ZKS performed many of the repairs.

After the heavy September rains, water was not receding as fast as they hoped, and Sheehan said more tile repairs were needed. Contractors have most of the equipment on site, but not all of it. He said the contractors are trying their best to do all the repairs in a timely fashion.

Board member Gloria Luster asked how long they would do repairs on the tiles?

Sheehan said the company is on the hook for any damages made in the next few years and they are obligated to repair any damage they see later.

Birchby said they try to repair damages immediately and would make repairs even if the damages are showing up 20 years down the road. The project developers will still be financially responsible for fixing the damages.

Other updates on the project

Board member David Hepler asked about the timetable for the second phase of the project.

Birchby said they are currently doing the design and engineering work for the second phase. They hope to be engaged in the permit process for the second phase in winter 2019 and construction may start during summer 2019.

Luster asked how many towers there would be?

Birchby said they will have 20 more towers in this part of the project. It will be further away from Mount Pulaski and north of Lake Fork and would include Mount Pulaski, Lake Fork and Laenna Townships.

The company has already talked to Logan County Highway Engineer Bret Aukamp about the road use agreement.

Road and Bridge Committee updates

Road and Bridge Committee Chairman Bob Farmer brought forward three motions. The first one was for an Engineering Agreement that is part of HillTopper Wind Farm project.
At the September Workshop, Bret Aukamp said the construction inspection for the road improvement by Cummins Engineering has taken a lot longer than anyone had planned because they have had to do a lot more survey work, staking and inspection than what was originally expected.

Aukamp said the county needed to extend the agreement so Cummins could get paid for the work still needed. An additional $128,877.90 would carry Cummins Engineering through the rest of this year and for the work next year that would need to get done.

Aukamp said the entire amount would be paid by HillTopper Wind Farm.

Ruben said Cummins Engineering is checking the roads for their condition as they are strengthened. When the project is done next year and the everything is put back into shape, Cummins will do the inspection.

Ruben said even though HillTopper is paying the additional amount, the board needs to pass it because they have the contract with the company. Farmer’s motion to approve an addendum to the Construction Inspection agreement with Cummins Engineering for an additional $128,877.90 to cover the additional time spent was approved by all eleven board members present. Board member Dave Blankenship was absent during this portion of the meeting.

The eleven members present unanimously approved a motion to approve an Engineering Agreement with Cummins Engineering for a guardrail upgrade project - total $92,270.91. A federal grant awarded earlier this year reimburses 90 percent of the cost.

The board also unanimously approved another motion for the purchase of a used snowplow truck from Sangamon County for $44,831.25

[Angela Reiners]