Mayor Beyer called the Workshop Meeting of the Rockford City Council and Planning Commission to order at 6:00 p.m. The meeting was held in the Council Chambers of City Hall 6031 Main Street, Rockford, MN. The purpose of the workshop meeting was to review a concept plan for a potential industrial development.
ROLL CALL
The following council members were present: Beyer, Altringer,
Graner, Nichols, and Seymour. The
following planning commission members were present: Werman and Pederson. Also
in attendance was: Administrator Carswell,
Review Concept
Plan- Kandiyohi/Biomass Plant
Michael Krause of Kandiyohi introduced his partners: Craig Wilson and Kim Havey. Kandiyohi is interested in purchasing an eight acre lot from United Properties that is planned for industrial development. Kandiyohi was formed three years ago.
Michael Krause reviewed the power point presentation. The bio mass plant will produce electricity by burning wood waste which is a process cleaner than coal. The Kandiyohi group plans to construct a 14,000 square foot structure which will produce approximately 20-21 megawatts of power which is enough power for 18,000 households. Kandiyohi will employ approximately 24 people at wages averaging $48,000-$100,000. It was noted that there are 200 biomass plants in the country.
Mayor Beyer asked about soot from the process. Mr. Krause stated that there is a filter in the stack that gets 99% of the soot.
Mr. Krause stated that they plan to keep about 48 hours of wood stored on the site in silo’s and the rest will be stored off site. There will be a wood chipper inside the building but larger wood will be cut off site. There is a vacuum system proposed to remove the dust in the process. Kandiyohi feels that they will have an adequate source of wood waste from their contacts.
A sprinkler system or full fire suppression for all aspects of the process will be installed. There was some discussion about the need for a water tank and it was stated no water tank is planned on the site.
Lane Wilson of Wright Hennepin Electric stated that they have been meeting with Kandiyohi to get this power on their grid and they see Kandiyohi as energy partners.
It was asked if residents will get a break on their electric bill however this will not be the case now but could work out that way in the future.
Engineer Statz informed council and planning commission that he had talked with Kim Havey, Kandiyohi’s engineer. Statz feels that the city can accommodate the water supply needed for this facility. Statz stated that they discussed wastewater used and it will be approximately 50 gallons per minute which our system can handle or a closed loop system. Statz stated that after the discussion with Kim Havey that both parties have a good understanding of each others needs. Statz stated that Kandiyohi will benefit our system since they would be a steady user that doesn’t require storage. Statz has been working on how the city would determine the SAC and WAC fee’s for this new use so that they will cover the costs for any improvements needed to the system.
Another option that was discussed was pumping water from the
It was noted that the discharge water is at 105 degrees. However, the goal is to find other industrial businesses that can use the wastewater from this process.
The smoke stack is designed to be approximately 90’ in height. The city’s water tower is 110’ in height.
The group reviewed pictures of the biomass plant in
Virginia, MN which is located next to the river. There was also a picture of a plant in
The use of milfoil is being looked at as a possible source of fuel for the plant along with the wood waste.
The plant will require an environmental assessment worksheet. An air quality permit will be required at the facility. There was a question about contaminated wood that may get into the wood waste. The engineer stated that the air quality permit will require an alarm that includes a sensor which would notify the owner and the Pollution Control Agency PCA of any contamination.
There was a question about who would own the facility. Kandiyohi has investors for the project that will all be owners of the facility.
Steam emissions were discussed as far as lingering on vehicles, roadways and homes in the area. The group will study the steam emissions and report back to council, however, they feel that the facility is far enough away from Highway 55 so as not to cause any problems.
Mayor Beyer expressed concerns with the height of the chimney stack which is 90’ tall and 4’ wide.
Council member Graner asked if they would allow educational tours of the facility. The developer’s responded that they would encourage school tours of the facility to educate children about the biomass plant.
Dennis Peterson asked if there was a plant he could visit. Michael Krause suggested the plant in Shakopee or the plant at the U of M Morris on the edge of the campus that is being constructed. The developer will forward the location to Administrator Carswell for council information.
If the developer has the city’s support the next step would be to begin the EAW, by the spring of 2009 they would apply for a conditional use permit and site plan approval. Federal standards apply to the use since it is a power supplier.
Parkwood residents probably won’t see the proposed facility.
Mayor Beyer asked for a vote by council and planning
commission, all agreed that the business is a good idea and a good fit for
MOTION to adjourn was made by Altringer, seconded by
Mayor Beyer adjourned the meeting at 8:02 p.m.
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Michael Beyer, Mayor
Attest:
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