Oakwood Hills residents voice concern over proposed power plant

 

Bill is a former resident of the Oakwood Hills area.  And he thought this story would interest some blog followers.  To some degree it is a “not in my backyard” story but openness and transparency is what is being demanded by these citizens. That is a demand of local politics across the nation and the reason for the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

More than 120 citizens showed up at a village meeting, concerned that a $450 million power plant will be built in Oakwood Hills.

SEE the film clip by clicking on the following: http://abc7chicago.com/news/oakwood-hills-residents-voice-concern-over-proposed-power-plant-/295615/

By Stacey Baca

Thursday, September 04, 2014

OAKWOOD HILLS, Ill. (WLS) --

A controversial plan over a proposed power plant closed down Oakwood Hills' village government last month. On Thursday night, a village meeting had to be moved to Crystal Lake to a location big enough to handle the crowd.
Oakwood Hills is a village in McHenry County with just 2,000 people. More than 120 citizens showed up at the meeting, concerned that a $450 million power plant will be built in their community.
"We are not a bunch of thugs, bullies, liars and gossips - as we have been referred to - but are concerned residents of Oakwood Hills," said Rosie Riley, resident.
Although it's not on Thursday night's agenda, residents are concerned that the village will approve plans to build a massive power plant in this field. Transparency is an issue.
"Have you folks met? Have you met in secret? What have you done - created a police state for us?" said Regina Narusis, resident.
The issue has been so contentious that the village hall was shut down for nearly a month after board members reportedly received threats - an issue the police chief declined to talk about Thursday.
But the police presence was obvious as officers used hand-held detectors and checked bags - and residents are not finished fighting.
"It's been a black hole, we have no idea what is going on with the board, and that's probably what is driving most of the concern," said Ryan Noonan, who opposes the power plant.
The village president declined to talk to Eyewitness News Thursday night, and during the meeting, she did not address specific concerns about the power plant.
The village board is expected to take up the power plant issue next month.

Earlier Channel 7 coverage:  http://abc7chicago.com/news/oakwood-hills-village-hall-shut-down-by-personal-threats/245415/

http://abc7chicago.com/news/oakwood-hills-village-hall-re-opens-after-threats/283731/

Peaker Plant asks for another extension of their special use permit

This month the Boone County Board will consider another extension of the special use permit.  Here is some background on the plant and the 2009 decision to approve the plant.

There are some additional posts from this blog concerning peaker plants and the 2009 board approval.  SEE: 

http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2009/01/peaker-plant-clears-boone-zoning-board.html

http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2009/02/boone-board-delays-peaker-plant-verdict.html

http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2009/02/boone-county-again-debates-peaker-plant.html

http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2009/03/boone-county-government-for-march.html

PHOTO PROVIDED Boone County Board Chairman Bob Walberg stands in front of one of the engines at a peaker plant in Hays, Kansas, on Friday, March 6, 2009. Three board members visited the plant in preparation for their own vote on whether a similar plant should come to rural Boone County.

Peaker plant tour hasn't swayed Boone County Board member's votes

By Kevin Haas
Posted Mar. 10, 2009 @ 12:01 am
Updated Mar 10, 2009 at 9:01 AM
BELVIDERE

Boone County Board members who visited a peaker plant in Hays, Kan., Friday said the trip hasn’t swayed their votes on a proposed project in rural Boone County.

Boone County Board Chairman Bob Walberg and board members Marshall Newhouse and Kathy Donhowe-Hartwig toured the 75-megawatt Goodman Energy Facility to get a first hand view of a peaker plant similar to the one proposed for Boone County. Board members are scheduled to vote on the project March 18.

Newhouse, who had voted in favor of the project at the committee level, said his feelings haven’t changed since the tour. Donhowe-Hartwig, who had voted against the project in committee, said she also hasn’t changed her mind.

“The (Kansas) facility is in the middle of nowhere. There really aren’t any neighbors close by,” said Donhowe-Hartwig, who has expressed concern for residents on Garden Prairie Road who would live near the proposed 100-megawatt, natural-gas-fired peaking power plant.

“My next step is going out to the (Boone County) site, because now I can visualize how large it is,” Donhowe-Hartwig said. “At this point, I haven’t changed my mind.”

If it's approved, developers still need a number of state and federal permits, and someone to purchase and operate the site, before they break ground. The earliest construction could start would be fall 2010, with plans to bring it on line by May 2012.

Would-be neighbors of the plant have contested that the sight and noise of 12 engines, with accompanying exhaust stacks, would lower property values.

“I just think it’s the wrong location,” said Gary Gibson, who lives on Garden Prairie Road north of the would-be facility.

Taxpayer money was not used to pay for the trip, which was financed by Burns & McDonnell, the architectural and engineering firm behind the project. It was offered to neighbors south of the would-be plant, but scheduling conflicts prevented any from accepting, developers said.

Gibson said he felt the board members’ trip to Kansas was an effort to buy their vote.

“That’s easy criticism. The truth is I saw them going the extra mile, trying to do everything they could to present their project and let people know what it is going to be like,” Walberg said. “There was no sales pitch, just trying to get an honest opinion of what they had to offer.”

Walberg, who has not cast a vote on the proposal, said he was impressed by the facility.

The Goodman Energy Facility has nine engines. One of the nine engines was turned on Friday to allow for board members to gauge the sound.

“I did not consider (noise) an issue at all,” Newhouse said. “They started with me standing right next to it and it was incredibly loud. When they shut the door the insulation in the facility did its work. ... At 200 to 240 yards motorcycles running down the highway a half-mile away were completely eclipsing anything the engines at the peaker power plant were producing.”

Read more: http://www.rrstar.com/article/20090310/News/303109868#ixzz3CNlsfn9V