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Urbana
TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010
SPORTS
An upstate
feel in the
Sweet 16
Syracuse and Cornell,
the first Ivy League
school since 1979, will
represent New York...
See Page B-1
NEWS
How will
health reform
affect you?
With much of the political
wrangling over, what’s left
is how it will affect
Americans ...
See Pages A-6,7
and B-10
TRI-COUNTY
Jail has
new
director
By BREANNE
PARCELS
Staff Writer
MECHANICSBURG
The Tri-County Regional Jail
Board met Monday and
unanimously appointed a
new executive director to
replace Robert Beightler,
who will retire after five
years of service on April 9.
Stephen J. Huffman, 57, of
Grove City, was selected
from 11 candidates who
expressed interest in the
position. Like Beightler, he
has a wealth of experience in
the state corrections system.
After retiring from the Ohio
Department of
Rehabilitation
Corrections in
and
2007,
Huffman went into the pri-
vate consulting field, serving
as a lead compliance inspec-
tor for annual detention
reviews with MGT of
America, of Austin, Texas.
His primary responsibilities
in that position have been
inspection of jails and pris-
ons for the U.S. Department
of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement.
Champaign County
Sheriff Brent Emmons, who
chairs the jail board, said
Huffman served in a variety
of administrative posts dur-
ing his time with ODRC,
including spending six years
See ‘Jail’ on Page A-3
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DAILYCITIZEN Informing Champaign County Since 1838
50 CENTS
Wind
farm
OK’d
Of 70 proposed,
53 approved
By BREANNE PARCELS
Staff Writer
COLUMBUS – The Ohio
Power Siting Board approved a
certificate Monday to allow con-
struction of 53 of 70 wind turbines
proposed for eastern Champaign
County by New York-based devel-
oper, EverPower Renewables.
“This is a major milestone for
the project and gives us a clear
vision of where we’re going,” said
Michael Speerschneider,
EverPower director of develop-
ment.
The Buckeye Wind project will
cover about 9,000 acres in
Goshen, Rush, Salem, Union,
Urbana and Wayne townships.
The project spans four school dis-
tricts: Urbana, Triad, West
Liberty-Salem and
Mechanicsburg.
The turbines that were not
approved included 16 that have
been deemed hazards by the
Federal Aviation Administration
because of their proximity to
Grimes Field and Weller Airport.
Two turbines, including one listed
as a hazard by the FAA, were not
approved because they did not
meet the state-mandated setback Indicates turbines not approved due to setback issues: 57, 70
requirement of 914 feet to resi-
dences. (See accompanying graph- Indicates turbines still classified as FAA hazards: 19, 24, 26, 29, 30, 34, 38, 46, 48, 50, 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63.
ic to view 17 turbines not
approved.)
The OPSB had very little dis-
cussion on Buckeye Wind or two
Hardin County projects which
were also approved, as the meet-
OPSB puts conditions on
ing lasted less than 30 minutes.
“We’ve just approved about 500
megawatts of wind power total,”
Buckeye Wind certification
said Alan Schriber, chairman of
the Public Utilities Commission of
Ohio, which oversees the opera-
tion of the OPSB.
Special to the Citizen
COLUMBUS – The OPSB has
do not meet Ohio’s minimum set-
back requirements.
radar or communications facilities,
Buckeye must mitigate the effects.
The only modification the authorized construction of up to 53 •Buckeye must establish an •Buckeye must repair damage
board made to the conditions of turbines in Champaign County. The informal process to receive project- to agricultural land, including field
certification proposed by staff Board denied the siting of 16 tur- related complaints from the public, tile.
– included Schriber’s “alternative” bines proposed near Champaign including but not limited to the top- •Buckeye must provide local fire
to require Buckeye Wind to pur- County’s airports as they present a ics of noise and shadow flicker. and emergency response personnel
chase a road bond and pay for potential hazard to aviation accord- •The OPSB staff must receive with turbine layout maps, tower dia-
decommissioning costs up-front. ing to the Federal Aviation notification of all complaints. grams and safety manuals.
“One of the findings states the Administration. •Turbines are subject to review, •Buckeye must decommission
company would not be required to The OPSB set additional condi- and possible removal, if they the facility, or individual turbines, at
post a decommissioning bond until tions that the company must follow exceed 30 hours per year of shadow its own expense.
one year after the machines are to address the environmental and flicker. •Buckeye must promptly repair
operating,” Schriber said. “I took it social impacts of the project. These •Buckeye must meet all federal all impacted roads and bridges fol-
upon myself to provide an alterna- conditions include: and state requirements for con- lowing construction and decommis-
tive. We’ll call that Alternative 2 to •Buckeye cannot construct tur- struction of turbines that may affect sioning.
require Buckeye to post bond of bines number 57 (also an FAA navigable airspace, radar or com- •The company must secure a
$5,000 per turbine at the onset of potential hazard) and 70 unless the munications. road bond through the Champaign
construction, then at the end of company modifies their location. As •If it is determined that an indi- County Engineer’s Office to provide
See ‘Wind’ on Page A-8 proposed, the two turbine locations vidual turbine negatively impacts adequate funds to make the repairs.
Local opinions vary on state ruling
By KATHLEEN FOX been planned nearer the airport.
Assistant Editor
Following Monday’s ruling by the Ohio
“A localizer won’t solve Councilman Al Evans commended local peo-
ple who testified before the OPSB and said he’s
Power Siting Board that the Buckeye Wind pro- the problem of most of the pleased with the OPSB ruling.
ject may proceed, but without 16 proposed wind “I’m definitely pleased that there’s not an
turbine sites deemed potential hazards by the pilots who fly in here.” issue with Grimes Field. That was a concern of
Federal Aviation Administration, an Urbana mine,” he said. “We depend on that airport to be
council member said steps could be taken to an asset. If pilots can’t fly into here, that could
– Urbana Councilman Al Evans
allow even more turbines closer to Grimes Field diminish the value of that asset. The airport is
and a pilot said Monday’s ruling is dangerous to going to be protected. I applaud the siting board
pilots. for seeing our side.”
“I think this is a compromise, rather than to Evans said his talks with local pilots have con-
enabling instrument-rated pilots to tune into a
kill the whole project, which some people want- vinced him a localizer is not a solution.
radio frequency and obtain information that
ed to do,” Councilman Larry Lokai said of “A localizer won’t solve the problem of most
leads them into an airport. Grimes Field
OPSB’s decision to eliminate the 16 proposed of the pilots who fly in here,” he said.
Manager Carol Hall has said there is a concern
turbine sites near Urbana’s Grimes Field and the He noted the council has requested input
that placing a localizer at the airport would put
privately-owned Weller Field. “If they put a local- from the FAA and local pilots concerning the
in jeopardy an existing navigational aid used by
izer in, it should resolve the dilemma.” localizer proposal.
pilots who are not instrument-rated. She said
An additional two turbines in the proposed about 90 percent of pilots that use the airport are Local pilot Rick Rademacher, who previously
project also are in question due to property set- not instrument-rated. had provided the OPSB with 110 pilot signatures
backs rather than FAA concerns, but one of EverPower Renewables has proposed that against the turbine project, said Monday that
them is also an FAA presumed hazard. In all, the the city agree to have a localizer installed at even some of the turbines approved by the
OPSB approved 53 of 70 proposed turbines. Grimes Field, which reportedly would remove OPSB are too close to Grimes Field for both
A localizer is a type of navigational aid the FAA’s concerns about turbines that had See ‘Air’ on Page A-3
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