ERIE Neosho County Commissioners finally gave their nod to the planned Neosho Ridge Wind project by voting to approve four agreements at Thursday evenings meeting.
The commission accepted the agreements in their entirety 2-1, with Commissioner Paul Westhoff opposed. The project, which will construct 139 wind-powered electrical generators on approximately 44,000 acres in southwest Neosho County, will be primarily in Westhoffs district.
Earlier in the meeting, Westhoff moved for a moratorium on the project until September, which died for the lack of a second. Were that to happen, the project would likely not happen and the county could be sued for loss of investment in the un-zoned county.
I guess I know where we stand, folks, Westhoff said.
The commission then met in executive session for a total of one hour and 20 minutes because of attorney-client confidentiality.
Its been an incredible two weeks, newly named Commissioner Gail Klaassen said.
We feel that its the best that we can get, she said about the agreements. Were ready to get started.
Commissioner David Orr said he had traveled over 10,000 miles visiting people about the project.
Under the agreements, the developer Apex Clean Energy will pay $12 million to the county over the next 10 years. The initial payment will be a one-time $1.5 million to various county departments within 45 days of the agreements being signed, followed by $1 million per year over nine years and $500,000 for the 10th year.
The initial one-time $1.5 million payment will be distributed as: $800,000 to the Road and Bridge Department; $500,000 to the general fund: $100,000 to the Sheriffs Department; and $100,000 to the commissions discretionary fund.
The agreement for Payment In Lieu of Taxes does not specify how the annual payments will be directed.
Another agreement includes restrictions to limit sound from any windmills to less than 48 decibels at the exterior center-point of a non-participating, occupied primary residential dwelling already in existence, unless the owner has consented in writing to waive the limit. The agreement limits sound to 50 decibels at a participating home.
It also sets the windmill setbacks at 1,225 feet from a participating leaseholders home from the base of the windmill to the center of the house; 1,640 from a non-participant home; and 1,025 feet from a non-participating landowners property line. Setbacks from a participating property line or county right-of-way should equal the propeller radius and windmills must be set back 1.1 times the height of the windmill with a blade straight at the top from a road right-of-way.
An initial draft of the agreement limited the maximum height at the blade tip to 700 feet above ground, and the minimum blade clearance to above 150 feet above ground.
Klaassen said the maximum height was changed in the final draft to 620 feet. Project developer Jade Scheele said the actual windmill height will be 597 feet.
