Board approves Grohowski traveling to Louisiana with Wolverine
by Angie Asam, Staff Writer
Ken Bradstreet of the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture appeared before the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners to extend an opportunity for a delegate from the board to travel with the Wolverine Power Cooperative board of directors to a power plant in Louisiana February 17-20.
?We have been watching a project in Louisiana for a couple of years. It is almost identical to the power plant we have proposed here for Rogers City. We visited the plant last August and were impressed with it. The plant should be up and running by the end of the year. We have made arrangements for our board of directors to visit the plant and meet with the people involved in construction, with the power company, the schools, law enforcement, everyone involved or affected by the plant. We are inviting some people from Presque Isle County to go along with us and talk to those people as well. This will give us a better idea of what the impact of the plant could be and what issues we could face. By doing this we hope to be able to be pro-active when dealing with any issues that may arise,? said Bradstreet.
Wolverine sent letters to various governmental entities in the county allowing each body the opportunity to send a delegate if they so wished. Wolverine offered to pay for these delegates to travel down and stay for the three-day trip if that was something the entity agreed with.
After discussing the idea the board quickly decided that they did not think it would be appropriate to have Wolverine pay for the trip. Commissioner Mike Grohowski had the idea of letting the county pay for the trip. ?If we are going to support something it is important to know what we?re supporting by seeing it firsthand,? said Grohowski.
Bradstreet echoed the commissioners? thoughts by emphasizing how important his company felt it was to have delegates there to ask questions others may not ask.
?I think it is appropriate for us to have a representative there. I move that we allow the chairman to go, with the county to pay expenses,? said commissioner Kris Sorgenfrei. Chairman Carl Altman quickly accepted the notion to go and asked to not be paid per diem while attending.
Vice-Chairman Bob Schell then came up with a different approach to the situation by asking commissioner Grohowski if he would have an interest in going. ?You have more opposition to the plant in your area. Would you be willing to go to get some of your resident?s questions answered?,? said Shell.
Grohowski indicated he would be willing to go and the board then considered sending two delegates, Altman and Grohowski. Commissioner Mike Darga then got involved, ?With the economy the way it is we are going to get ripped for this. People are struggling and we are going to send two people to Louisiana on county money? I can see sending one person but not two. I would consider going but would pay out of my own pocket if I did,? said Darga.
The board didn?t disagree with Darga and it was finally decided that Grohowski would be the delegate traveling on county money while any other commissioner who wished to go could do so with their own funding.
IN OTHER COUNTY BOARD NEWS:
? Bill Valentine, executive director of the CDC/EDC, appeared before the board to ask them to allow the planning commission to amend the county recreation plan in order to include the Millersburg Trailhead project. Because it would make the project eligible for more funding possibilities. The board unanimously agreed to allow the planning commission to proceed with the amendment process.
? Wayne Vermilya appeared before the board to thank them for sending a letter to the DEQ about the odor problem at the Elk Run Landfill. The DEQ has responded to that letter and indi
? Norm Smith was officially hired as the Emergency Services Coordinator and his contract was approved.
? Drain commissioner Charlie Lyon will be attending the winter conference at the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme as the board approved the trip with expenses to come from the drain commissioner?s budget.
? The board authorized airport manager Mike Jermeay to attend a conference in Lansing.
? Jim Zakshesky was approved to take a tools/techniques of historic preservation class at the Rogers City library with a fee of $55 for the class.
? The board approved sending the resolutions of support they have passed for the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture to the appropriate governmental bodies as the time is nearing for the permit decision to be made.