Committee OKs wind farm ordinance

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January 7, 2009

BY BRIAN L. HUCHEL The Commercial-News Wed Jan 07, 2009, 08:29 PM CST

DANVILLE — Vermilion County residents offered questions and suggestions but no complaints to a proposed wind farm ordinance.

The Vermilion County Board’s executive committee met Wednesday, allowing people to speak out about an ordinance intended to handle the emergence of wind farms in the county.

Six men attended the meeting, offering questions about road responsibilities during and after wind farm construction, permit fees and representation in the process.

Roy Knight, a highway commissioner, questioned the agreement status with companies using both county or township roads and the fees expected to be used for the permit costs.

Chris Hanson representing White Construction — one of the companies with an interest in building a wind farm — assured him that the roads would be left in the same or better shape following construction.

“If we leave a bad taste in one county’s mouth in any of the 50 states, our business dries up quickly,” he said.

The executive committee voted unanimously to approve the ordinance, which moves on for a final vote at the Jan. 20 county board meeting. The ordinance was proposed in November and has been on public display since the beginning of December. The ordinance will remain on public display for review until the board votes on it.

The ordinance deals with the issues surrounding the placement of turbines in a wind farm, ranging from road care during the construction of the wind turbines and the buffer zone between the turbines and property to the permit process for a wind farm.

Unlike other counties that are the site of wind farms, Vermilion County does not have countywide zoning. The ordinance compensates for that by creating a building-permit format that oversees companies wanting to build in the county.

Dale Livingston of Catlin Township pointed out zoning is still used in that township and suggested that the committee used in the permit process should include a representative of the county’s townships to improve communication with residents.

“People go to the township with problems and questions,” he said.

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