Wind controversy subsiding?

The Jasper County Advisory Plan Commission met on Monday evening to consider an amendment to the County's Wind Ordinance. The crowd was very large and the meeting was moved from the Commissioners' Room on the second floor of the Court House to one of the court rooms on the third floor, which the crowd filled. When the floor was opened to public comments on the amendment, there were no comments. After a bit of discussion among the Commission members, the amendment passed on a 7 to 1 vote. It will now go to the Commissioners and will probably be on the agenda for their May meeting. I expect that it will pass with no changes.

What were the changes?  Here are the changes with the new wording in red and the deleted wording struck through.

Each utility grade wind turbine system shall be located at least 1320 1760 feet from any non-participating property line.

Setback from Public Road, Railroad, or Above-Ground Utility. Each utility-grade wind turbine system shall be a minimum distance of 1.1 1.5 times the tip height from any public road, railroad, or above-ground utility.

Setback from Off-site Land Uses. A utility-grade wind turbine system shall be required to be set back a minimum of:
one-third mile (1,760 feet)  Two-thousand four-hundred feet (2,400 feet) from any existing non-participating residential dwellings, multiple-family residential dwellings, or place of worship. The owner of said dwelling unit may grant permission, in writing and recorded with the Jasper County Recorder, waiving the setback requirement to their home. However, under no circumstances shall a utility-grade wind turbine system be closer than (2) two times the tip height to a dwelling unit. 

one-third mile (1,760 feet) Two-thousand four-hundred feet (2,400 feet) from any existing land currently zoned R1, R2, VR, M1, and M2. 

one-third mile (1,760 feet) Two-thousand four-hundred feet (2,400 feet) from any platted residential subdivision with ten (10) or more lots. 

No Turbine Zone.  To protect the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area and to protect/provide an Aviation Buffer in respect to the Jasper County Airport and established Department of Defense MOA (Military Operations Area) within the county, a “No Turbine Zone” is established for the area of Jasper County that lies north of County Road 1200S Division Road. No wind turbines are permitted in this area. 

Below is the revised map showing in green where a wind farm is allowed in Jasper County.

After the ordinance was passed, the floor was open to public comments and there were two. A resident of Jasper County said that he had driven the roads of Benton County and found them in a poor state. He also thought that it was unwise to allow the wind farm companies to install the large concrete footing that will not be completely removed when the wind farm is decommissioned. I only partly caught what he was saying because he addressed only one side of the room and I was on the other side. The other gentleman was not from Jasper County. He said that the Department of Defense and the FAA had approved wind turbines for Jasper County so the ordinance went beyond what the Federal government required.

I had hoped to see a representative of a wind farm developer after the meeting but he left quickly. I wonder if the proposed project in Carpenter Township is still viable with the increased setbacks. The anti-wind-farm people all seemed to be very happy with the outcome. They lobbied hard and the results show that their efforts were effective.

Before the Plan Commission met, the Jasper County BZA met for about ten minutes to consider a use variance. A person building a home in Kankakee Township would like to keep the existing home rather than tear it down so his 94-year-old father can stay there. (Apparently the land is zoned so that only one house is allowed.) The BZA approved the variance with the provision that it be reviewed in two years if necessary.

In the late afternoon on Monday CDC Resources had a meet and greet for its new executive director. CDC Resources provides services for adults with developmental disabilities in Jasper, White, Carroll, Newton, and Benton Counties. The Rensselaer Center is at the east end of Angelica Street. Her comments were similar to those given at a similar event in Monticello a couple of weeks ago.

I hope people trying to find a restaurant on Drexel Drive do not think this is the restaurant.

Three of the lots that were sold in October at the big auction of SJC properties are for sale.

Below are some more spring flowers. Aren't they pretty?

On Saturday I noticed that someone has littered the grass at Brookside Park with hundreds of bits of colored plastic. I was ready to start cleaning up the mess when

suddenly a horde of small kids ran out and picked them all up. It is wonderful seeing young people keeping the park free from litter.