During the last year, Cook County North Shore Hospital has been the subject of numerous conversations regarding public buildings that could benefit from cheaper, cleaner sources of energy. At its Thursday, July 16, 2009 meeting, however, the hospital board questioned the role it wants to play in those discussions.
Spearheading many of the community conversations is the Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP). One of the ideas discussed at CCLEP, county board, school board, and 1% sales tax committee meetings has been the possibility of a biomass-fueled plant that could bring electricity and heat to numerous Grand Marais public buildings such as the hospital, school, Community Center, and courthouse.
Against the objections of Mayor Sue Hakes, the Grand Marais City Council voted July 8 to apply jointly with the town of Ely for stimulus funding that would help fund a biomass plant in each location. Despite this possibility, the hospital board plans to continue pursuing upgrades to its boilers, a project that needs to be done in the near future.
Board member Tom Spence said he would not be comfortable participating in a joint powers agreement to staff and maintain a community biomass-fueled plant, and he recommended that the board not send any more representatives to biomass meetings except to observe. “We’re in the hospital business. We’re not in the power business,” he said.
Howard Abrahamson said the board’s participation has not been regularly sought out in biomass discussions that have taken place throughout the community. The hospital had agreed to pay $2,500 toward a biomass plant feasibility study, but no one has contacted them further about it.
The City of Grand Marais could pursue a feasibility study while it waits to hear on its application for federal funds.
Board member Kay Olson recommended that the board stay informed. Sharon Bloomquist stated that they could become consumers of such a plant and might benefit from it in the long run.
“Do you want to keep participating?” Spence asked.
“Not particularly,” Abrahamson said. “I don’t like the way we’ve been treated.” The problem with stimulus money, he said, is that it rushes groups into taking action, which is not good business practice. He didn’t want the public to think the board was unconcerned about energy conservation if it stopped participating in the process, however.
We need to know the cost of the heat, and if a plant is built, we should have a 15-20 year contract, Spence said. To get people and banks on board, they need some guarantees. He and Abrahamson are on the board of Arrowhead Electric, which has a 30-year contract in which prices are set. The City of Grand Marais has taken a first step toward creating a business framework for the plant, Spence said.
We support the concept of biomass if it makes economical sense to the hospital, Abrahamson said, and the board agreed.
Maintenance Director Rory Smith did attend a July 20 meeting of Minnesota’s Clean Energy Resource Team, an agency that helps communities find clean energy alternatives. The meeting was held in Grand Marais so that people could hear about numerous “green” energy initiatives in Cook County. Chuck Hartley, an engineer with Duluth-based LHB Corporation, talked about the grant application that he completed on behalf of Grand Marais. When asked, he indicated that extra money would need to be spent to enable the hospital’s heating system to interface with the proposed biomass plant.
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