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Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Thursday, January 14, 2016
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Walnut Ridge: Tough nut to crack
County board ignores zoning board’s recommendation By Goldie Rapp grapp@bcrnews.com
Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part series on the happenings that occurred during the Bureau County Board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 12. PRINCETON — By 10:30
p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, the Bureau County Board had approved a majority portion of the Walnut Ridge Wind Energy Project, which will span nearly 14,000 acres across Ohio, Walnut, Greenville, Manlius and Bureau townships. The meeting drew more than 50 residents from all over the county and beyond who were there to either show support or opposition of the wind project. Because of the large number of guests at the meeting, board members were forced
to conduct business in the upstairs courtroom room at the Bureau County Courthouse. BHE Renewables had applied for 127 conditional use permits for the project — 123 of those permits being for wind turbines. Despite a recommendation of denial of all 127 conditional use permits by the Bureau County Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) last month, the county board approved all but nine permits on Tuesday. The permits denied
included turbines which would have been located within a close proximity of the Wilt and Geldean restricted landing air strips. Turbines denied were Nos. 76, 89, 108, 109, 112, 113, 124, 128 and 155. The process to vote on all 127 permits took nearly two hours. The county board broke down the permits into 12 groups of 10 towers, one group of three towers and one group that included the operations facility, two substations and temporary staging areas for the project.
For each group, Bureau County Zoning Officer Kris Donarski read off the location of each permit and the landowner of the property. She also pointed out the permits that both the Bureau County Regional Planning Commission and ZBA had recommended denial. For each vote, county board members were asked to raise their right hands to voice whether they approved or denied the permits. There were only four county board members
who consistently voted down each permit including Heather Thacker of Ohio, Jim Donarski of Princeton, Marshann Entwhistle of Princeton and James Thompson of Sheffield. Board member Robert Albrecht of Ohio abstained from every vote. When it became evident the board would approve the majority of wind turbines, a number of residents who showed up to express opposition for the wind
Walnut Ridge Page 3
Still free to move about the country
Chamber-sponsored event offers opportunities
Illinois IDs remain acceptable means for air travel By Eric Engel eengel@bcrnews.com
BCR photo/Dave Cook
The Princeton Chamber of Commerce held its annual Job Fair on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at the Bureau County Metro Center in Princeton. Event-goers were able to attend and visit with potential employers in their quest for a job or a new opportunity. Several area businesses participated in the event, all who had job openings at their businesses. Some interviews were actually conducted on the spot during the Job Fair.
Tiskilwa OKs seven-year garbage contract $10 monthly surcharge for water plant removed By Lyle Ganther lganther@bcrnews.com
TISKILWA — The Tiskilwa Village Board approved a seven-year garbage removal at its meeting Tuesday, Jan. 12, with Illinois Valley Waste Services, the firm that is currently picking Year 170 No. 6 One Section - 16 Pages
up the village’s garbage. The monthly charge will be $13 the first year of the contract and increase to $15.52 for the last year of the contract with Illinois Valley Waste Services. Republic Services had also submitted a bid for the garbage removal contract with the monthly charge being $15.50 for the first year and increasing 3 percent every year of the contract.
Trustee Steve McKinney had asked at last month’s meeting to seek bids for garbage pickup after Illinois Valley Waste Services had submitted a $17.50 a month fee. In related action, Tiskilwa Village Board President Randy Philhower said the 40-year bond for the village’s sewer system has been retired. He suggested using a portion of the $42,500 yearly sewer bond payment to pay off
COMFORT. SECURITY. CONVENIENCE.
the loan for a $500,000 water plant renovation project done in 2011. When the village borrowed $125,000 from a local bank on a five-year loan, a $10 monthly service charge was added to each monthly water bill to pay for the water plant renovation project. The village had received a CDAP grant in 2011 to pay for remaining $125,000 of the project’s cost.
Using $25,000 of the sewer bond payment to pay off the water plant loan early would mean the $10 monthly service charge can be eliminated from water bills one year earlier than expected, added Philhower. Board members unanimously approved paying off the water plant renovation loan earlier in this manner. Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.
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Don’t worry, Illinois residents. You don’t have to cancel that trip to the warm beaches and sparkling waters of Florida or California next month if you are lacking a U.S. passport. You can still board the airplane by showing your Illinois driver’s license, if only for a few more years. The REAL ID Act of 2005 stipulated a citizen must have proof of legal residence and date of birth to get a driver’s license. Since Illinois does not require a birth certificate when someone is obtaining their driver’s license, it was granted compliance extensions by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The state’s most recent extension request was denied by DHS, and yet Henry Haupt said Illinois residents will still be invited to a window or aisle seat through January 2018. “The Department of Homeland Security announced there will be no security changes at airports for two years, so current Illinois driver’s licenses and ID cards will continue to be accepted as legitimate forms of identification,” said Haupt, the deputy press secretary for the Secretary of State’s office.
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