County gets wind farm update 

MACOMB – A local permit application will be made this summer asking McDonough County to allow Capital Power to begin its wind farm project. Company representative Matt Martin told the county board’s road and bridge committee Thursday that 60 wind turbines would eventually be placed on farms in Sciota and Blandinsville townships. “This project has made a lot of progress in the past five months,” he said.
County Engineer Rick Walker has begun to draft a road use agreement. Martin said, “The most important thing is bringing the roads up to condition after the construction period….There will be thousands of (material) deliveries….There’ll be almost a complete redo of the roads.”
Capital Power has hired IMEG, formerly McClure Engineering, to assess the quality of 60 miles of county roads and 50 intersections. “These are more roads than we would actually use,” said Martin. “All roads must connect to U.S. 67.”
Martin said his company would connect from Sciota to the Ameren power grid from Macomb to Niota. An agreement with Ameren Illinois is to be signed by the end of July. Capital Power will be selling renewable energy contracts it was awarded by the state and the company has a buyer signed up to start purchasing its energy output by 2021. Martin said plans are to start construction in April, 2019 with wind turbines to be delivered the following September. He said construction should be completed in early 2020.
The committee also voted to recommend an agreement with Maurer-Stutz Engineering of Peoria to perform a hydraulic survey and analysis of pipes located under the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks surrounding Adair. Walker said the size of the culvert pipes might be a factor in flooding in the village. Three members of the New Salem Township trustees attended the committee meeting.
After the study results are received, Walker said the next step could be to apply for construction grants. “The township owns the roadways,” he said. “This flooding could be a life safety issue.”
Trustee Brett Schnarr said the New Salem board has discussed whether routing the rainwater around the village could be possible. Benton and Associates Engineering has been working with the township trustees. “I would like to eventually have a look at the Maurer-Stutz analysis,” said engineer Doug Erickson. The township trustees said that all farmland drainage from one mile and a quarter outside of town runs through Adair.
In other business, Walker reported that (1) survey work has been completed on the County Highway 9 bridge over Sugar Creek near Vermont and Hutchison Engineering has begun work on bridge design plans; (2) construction has begun on the Mound Township bridge over Kepple Creek; (3) county crews installed a four-inch arc bridge culvert near Walnut Street in Adair; (4) two 24-inch bridge culverts were installed on Emory Road for Emmet Township; and (5) plans and specifications for deck beams on the County Highway 26 bridge over the Lamoine River near Plymouth have been finalized and sent to Hutchison Engineering with construction bids to be solicited next January.