Logan County Commissioners approve new wind energy project near Fleming 

STERLING – A new wind energy project is coming to Logan County. During their business meeting on Tuesday, the Logan County Commissioners approved a resolution and application for a conditional use permit on behalf of AP Prairie Wind, LLC, for a wind facility west, north and northeast of Fleming.

The permit is for construction of a state of the art wind powered generating facility to include 90 wind turbine generators, generated power to approximately 158 megawatts pad mounted transformers, collector substation, operations and maintenance facility with laydown yard, temporary batch plan, meteorological towers, overhead and buried cable, 230 KV interconnection switchyard, roads, rights-of-way, transmission and other required facilities and uses in portions of Township 9 North, Ranges 48, 49 and 50 West, and Township 8 North, Ranges 49 and 50, of the 6th P.M..

County building inspector Rob Quint noted the terms requested for the permanent facilities is a period of 30 years, equal to the term of property easements within the identified boundary of the CUP.

The Planning Commission recommended approval of the CUP at their Dec. 10 meeting, following a public hearing. Their recommendation came with five conditions:

• The applicant shall submit to Planning and Zoning an as-built map showing the location of the 1.7MW or 1.79MW generators;

• Building plans must be submitted for administrative approval prior to the start of construction;

• Any right-of-way crossings and temporary turnouts for the CUP area will be applied for, subsequent to the hearing on the CUP application by the commissioners on Dec. 17;

• The permit term shall be for 30 years on the identified and approved CUP. If any changes, such as alterations or enlargements, occur to the CUP identified and approved, the applicant shall be responsible for seeking and obtaining separate approval of a permit and term of approval for those changes;

• As a condition of approval of the CUP the applicant shall enter into a development agreement between the commissioners and applicant.

The final condition was met when the commissioners approved a development agreement with the company following approval of the CUP.

In other business, the commissioners approved an emergency management agreement between Logan County and the Colorado Division of Homeland Security for the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Public Assistance Program.

“This grant agreement entails some of the work that our Road and Bridge Department did during the recent flood and some of the reimbursements associated with that work,” explained Commissioner Dave Donaldson.

The commissioners also approved a lease for highway agreement between Logan County and Union Pacific Railroad Company, for property located in Proctor.

“This lease covers a road that’s been in existence, a county road that services two residences within Logan County,” Donaldson explained.

The property covered on the lease has been reduced by approximately 50 percent, as half of the portion covered on the past lease is not used by the county. Under the agreement, the county will pay the railroad $3,900 for the 25-year lease.

Additionally, the commissioners opened proposals for the purchase of one new motor grader, an item they postponed at last week’s meeting.

There were four bids submitted, including two from 4 Rivers Equipment, one for a John Deere 770 G motor grader at a price of $231,530 and the other for a John Deere 670 G motor grader at a price of $199,400. The two other bids came from Power Equipment Company, for a Volvo motor grader at a price of $209,298, and Wagner Equipment, for a Caterpillar 140M2 at a price of $217,203.

The commissioners referred the bids to the Road and Bridge Department for a recommendation.

They also removed from the table and approved a resolution and application for subdivision exemption on behalf of the estate of Sylvia P. Gregory to create a 11.12-acre tract from a 142-acre parcel in an agricultural district in the SW ¼ of the NE ¼ and in the NW ¼ of the SE ¼ of Section 24, Township 7 North, Range 53 West of the Sixth P.M.

Under the consent agenda, the commissioners approved the minutes of the Dec. 10 meeting and acknowledged receipt of the treasurer’s report for November.

During a brief work session following the business meeting, they discussed a mutual aid agreement presented to the county by the Department of Corrections, allowing the county and the DOC to provide assistance to each other in an emergency.

The commissioners will approve that agreement, as well as an agreement with Colorado Department of Transportation, for federal funds for snow removal on county missile defense roads, at their next business meeting, 9 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 24, at the Logan County Courthouse.