Members of the Cook County Biomass Energy Feasibility Project were on hand Jan. 25, 2012 to update Grand Marais City Council on their ongoing study.
George Wilkes, Paul Nelson and Gary Atwood said the study is advancing into the second phase, and they wanted to know from city officials if they believe it is headed in the right direction and what information they would like to have on hand as they (city officials) consider implementing some of the projects.
Atwood, the local coordinator for the plan, presented a six-page summary which he described as a distillation of information that was tailored to the City of Grand Marais. Among the options analyzed for the city were the use of biomass combustion technologies for the courthouse; public- and county-owned buildings north of Fifth Street and east to the Law Enforcement Center, both with and without the hospital and clinic included; downtown business core; residential core; and a combination of those options. Atwood said studies have shown that there is residual biomass available for large-scale systems using hog fuel, forest guidelines allow for sufficient additional harvest to fuel potential wood chip-fired systems, and, significantly, financial performance for district heat configurations indicates realistic simple payback periods of between seven and 16 years.
“It seems to make a lot of sense and is worth pursuing,” said Wilkes. “Preliminary data indicates this would be good for Grand Marais…and we’re looking for input as we bring this to the development stage.” Among the positives Wilkes cited are jobs creation, lower heating and fuel costs, reduction in the need to truck fuels from far distances into Cook County, and numerous environmental benefits.
In response to a question from Mayor Larry Carlson about how this would be different from a failed steam heating system used along Fifth Street to heat the school complex and hospital in the 1980s, Nelson said there have been many advances in technology since then, and the new systems are a “whole lot cleaner.” Nelson also pointed out that Birch Grove Community School in Tofte has been successfully using a biomass system for two years, and there have been no problems with smoke or odor — two concerns that are usually raised when a biomass facility is being considered.
Councilor and Grand Marais Public Utilities Commission member Tim Kennedy said the study has been able to narrow down the options to systems that could work for the city, and that are likely to be the most reliable and economically viable. Kennedy then recommended that the findings of the study be sent on to the city’s PUC for their use and input as it will be that agency which considers implementation or eventual transformation of the city’s system.
Nelson pointed out that the option of using a centralized biomass system to heat individual homes has been dropped, so that the efforts are being focused on the larger public buildings. More specifically, Atwood said the focus will be on district heating for the public and community building with clean chips, and the addition of the downtown business core using hog fuel and possibly clean chips.
When and if the time does come for development of one of the plans, said Nelson, it will be sized properly for the city’s needs and can be designed with future expansion in mind. “We’ll scale it so it makes sense for us,” he said.
Atwood said he expects phase 2 of the study to be completed by early 2013. It will provide a detailed assessment of environmental and economic impacts of specific configurations. It will also provide a formal process for considering the financial and nonfinancial factors important to making decisions and the trade-offs involved.
In other business:
Jim Boyd presented an overview of the proposed Business Retention and Expansion Program and asked for an expression of support from the city. Boyd said he has made the appeal to numerous boards throughout the county, including Schroeder, Tofte, Lutsen, Arrowhead Electric and the county and hospital boards, and all have lent their support.
The program, run through the University of Minnesota, works by creating a leadership team of “distinguished” people throughout the community, said Boyd, and entails surveying businesses about their issues and problems and asking what should entities such as the EDA, city council and the county board be doing to help. The $15,000 program will be tailored to Cook County using an existing model and will benefit both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
Council voted to support the effort.
Council approved the submission to Cook County Soil & Water of their comments regarding the county’s Water Plan update. The comments are based on council’s input offered Dec. 28 and include questions about the well monitoring program, stormwater mitigation and property owners’ responsibilities. The plan was last updated in 2006.
Council approved a lawful gambling permit allowing the American Legion to conduct bingo games on March 24, April 14, May 5 and Nov. 17.
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