The Greene County board of adjustment will be asked to hold a public hearing in the next several weeks on an amended construction permit for Grand Junction Solar, a utility-scale solar energy project in Junction Township.
Tom Karas of National Grid Renewables, project manager of Grand Junction Solar, told the Greene County supervisors Monday that he’s in the process of “making lemonade out of a small lemon,” referring to the board of adjustment’s denial of the construction permit last month.
He said the process has been “really educational” for the company and that he’s had “good interaction” with Greene County officials to understand taxes and emergency response. He said he expects to have a tweaked application ready to submit later this week to allow for another public hearing as soon as possible.
Karas said he hopes to help “the county understand the industry a little more, and being able to fine tune the (utility-scale solar energy) ordinance. We look forward to a nice relationship coming up.”
Supervisors board chair John Muir agreed, saying, “We were all speaking English but it wasn’t the same English as we were understanding it.”
Karas said the new application addresses the issues raised by the board of adjustment, including emergency response planning and loss of property tax revenue. “I think we’ve addressed everything in regards to the ordinance. Understanding Iowa property taxes has been an interesting road trip to say the least…. We look forward to a re-do of the process.”
In other business, Muir notified the board he received written notification from county auditor Jane Heun of her intent to retire, effective July 14 of this year. Heun, a CPA with experience in the state auditor’s office, was first elected as auditor in a special election in February 2001.
The steps for filling the auditor position will be discussed at the June 12 supervisors’ meeting. Heun’s term of election ends Dec. 31, 2024.
The board set a public hearing on the sale of a vacant lot at 300 S. Wilson Ave in Jefferson for June 26 at 9 am. The county obtained the lot due to delinquent taxes. County treasurer Katlynn Mechaelsen reported that Triple S Properties LLC, the company that owns the rental property adjacent to the vacant lot, is interested in purchasing it for multi-family rental housing.
County engineer Wade Weiss updated the supervisors on the condition of the courthouse boiler. The boiler, which is original to the building, has been a cause of concern for several years. Along with changing the routine maintenance routine of the boiler, he said a new door would be installed on the boiler room and a second door will also be installed to increase safety. Weiss plans to meet with a Brooks Borg Skiles engineer later this month regarding updating the courthouse HVAC system using ARPA funds.
He also reported that replacement of the doors on the Mahanay Memorial Bell Tower was scheduled for the next day. Heun reported the tower windows would be cleaned that afternoon in advance of the Bell Tower Festival.
Weiss discussed the old underground fuel storage tank at the Jefferson secondary roads building and steps taken to encapsulate leakage. The site in enrolled in the state’s leaking underground storage tank (LUST) program. He said long term plans for the Jefferson shop include a new building and fuel storage depot.
