September 9, 2018
Illinois

County prepares for wind farm hearing

Patrick Stout, Voice Correspondent | The McDonough County Voice | Sep 8, 2018 | www.mcdonoughvoice.com

MACOMB – McDonough County Engineer Rick Walker discussed area wind farm plans Thursday with members of the county board’s road and bridge committee. There will be a public hearing next Wednesday at 6 p.m. on the site application of Capital Power to construct the Cardinal Pointe development.

Walker said he has received the site application and some issues need to be reviewed. County Board Chairman Scott Schwerer said the board would probably vote on the site application in October.

The county engineer said Capital Power would pay the county a $280,000 construction fee once the application is approved. Walker said he is still working with the company on a road use agreement during and after construction.

Walker said roads used by trucks carrying concrete and heavy wind turbine parts would probably be graveled during the construction period.
Capital Power would later pay to have the roads resurfaced.

In other business, five people appeared before the committee to discuss road repairs along the Tennessee Blacktop. Steve Sowers said county crews have leveled field entrances to his farm and would work on draining water from ditches. Road crew supervisor David Cadwalader said the county would install two corrugated pipes along the main entrances to two of the farms.

Walker said 84 truckloads of milled road surface were used to reinforce the shoulders. He said raising the road surface by two inches will require farm entrance dropoffs to be leveled.

Cadwalader said efforts to smooth the road surface have been hindered by the 819 cars that drive down County Highway 8 each day. “We barricaded the roads and posted them for local residents only,” he said, “but cars still cut in front of our equipment.”

The crew supervisor said work still needs to be done on the road from Cuba Corners south to Tennessee. Cadwalader said road shoulders are being disced and wind rows are being knocked down.

Committee chairman Clarke Kelso said it has cost the county $45,000 per mile for three sealcoatings of the blacktop.

Schwerer alerted the committee that the county has been asked to build a road to access the Pennington Cemetery west of Industry. County Clerk Gretchen DeJaynes said the cemetery is in Industry Township but land for the road was deeded to the county.

Walker reported that construction of the Mound Township bridge over Kepple Creek should be at the asphalt stage in two weeks, and that final plans have been submitted to replace the deck beams on the Plymouth bridge over the Lamoine River.