SUPERVISORS SETBACKS
A project engineer for a wind power firm spoke to the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors today, about a recommendation on setbacks from the county’s Zoning Board. Harry Finch with Invenergy, a firm that is planning a second wind farm in Plymouth County, said the Zoning Board’s recommendation will not be beneficial for farmers who want to invest their land in wind power. Invenergy has 177 agreements signed on 22-thousand acres in eastern Plymouth County. Finch told the Supervisors his firm plans to erect 3 to 4.5 megawatt towers, which stand about 600 feet tall. The recommended setback of 4 times the height of a wind tower would make it difficult to place wind mills in that 22-thousand acres. He says in other parts of Iowa, they used 1500 feet as a standard. The Zoning Board’s standard would place setbacks at a minimum of 1500 feet from a neighbor’s home.
Meanwhile, the Supervisors today received a petition from over 250 rural residents around the Kingsley area, requesting the Supervisors prohibit wind towers in Garfield, Elkhorn, and southern Henry townships. They cite the noise, blinking lights and shadows that would alter the character of the countryside.
LCSD DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA
The Le Mars Community School District Foundation and Alumni Association commitee announced that David Lorenzen is the recipient of this year’s LCSD Distinguished Alumni Award. Lorenzen is a 1975 Le Mars Community High School graduate. He began working in law enforcement as a Sioux County Sheriff’s Deputy. He later joined the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Enforcement division. For fifteen years he served as the chief of that division. He helped start the Human Trafficking Committee, to educate truckers about human trafficking. He serves on the National Board of Truckers for Truckers Against Trafficking. Dave now lives in Waukee, Iowa. He and his wife Cheryl have been married for 44 years. They have four children and 10 grandchildren. Lorenzen will be honored at the LCSD Foundation Banquet April 26 in Le Mars.
PARENTAL PERMISSION FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
A bill eligible for debate in the Iowa House would require permission from a parent before Iowa teens between the ages of 14 and 17 could have an account on Instagram or other types of social media. Republican Representative John Wills of Spirit Lake says that’s a change from the original bill, which would have barred any minor in Iowa from having a social media account. Studies have shown social media use can be a major distraction for teenagers by disrupting their sleep and promoting unrealistic views about their own body image. Wills says for those and other reasons, it’s time to try something. The bill cleared the House Ways and Means Committee yesterday (Monday) with the support of all but two Republicans. Democrats on the panel opposed it. Some are pressing for more changes in the bill to ensure it does not prevent students from using social media platforms for homework and other school activities.
WIND TURBINE SETBACKS
The Plymouth County Zoning Board Monday voted to recommend broader setbacks for wind generators. A two-hour public hearing broad a range of responses to the setbacks. The county currently has a setback of 12-hundred feet, or two times the height of the windmill. Members of the Zoning Board say have been receiving complaints from neighbors that the nearby generators create too much noise, and disturbing shadows at certain times of the day. The board initially considered a 15-hundred to 2-thousand foot setback. Instead, the proposal was modified to adjust setbacks to four times the height of the windmill, with a variance to reduce to three times the windmill height. The variance would have to be approved by the Plymouth County Board of Adjustment. The Board of Supervisors must give final approval to the zoning amendment. There is already a 73-turbine wind farm in eastern Plymouth County, and the operator, Invenergy, has signups for another 73-generator farm.
STREET CLOSURES
The Le Mars Street Department has announced closing of a couple of streets for repair work. Starting today, the walk/bike trail will be closed between Bus 75 and Hwy 3. The Le Mars Waste Treatment Plant contractors will be tearing the concrete out to install some new piping. They are planning to have it reopened by April 22nd. Starting tomorrow. a section of 5th St. N.W., 2 blocks west of O’Toole Park will be closed due to street and storm sewer repairs. They plan to have the road back open by April 21st , weather permitting.
SUPERVISORS AGENDA
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors meets in regular session this morning. The Board will hold a public hearing to take action on the 2023-24 budget. They will also take action on salaries for elected officials, and consider a budget resolution for the 2023-24 fiscal year. There will be an update on the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project in Plymouth County. A representative from Invenergy will be available to answer questions about updating the zoning ordinance on wind generator setbacks, an issue that was the subject of a public hearing yesterday before the Plymouth County Zoning Board.
SCHOOL BOARD AGENDA
The Le Mars Community School District Board of Directors meets tonight. They will hold a hearing on the district’s new budget, and consider approval of same. There will be another hearing concerning the purchase of two school buses in the next fiscal year. Bids will be reviewed, and the board will take action on the buds. There are a number of personnel resignations, and contracts for new employees to consider. The board will also consider a recommendation from the Meet and Confer Committee concerning contracts for support and administrative personnel.
BACK PAY FOR BIRD FLU WORKERS
Federal officials say nearly three-thousand workers hired to euthanize chickens and turkeys struck by bird flu in 2015 are eligible for back pay. According to the U-S Department of Labor, the workers were underpaid and they are owed, as a group, one-point-seven million dollars in wage. The U-S-D-A hired a Massachusetts company during the bird flu outbreak of 2015 to manage killing and disposing of infected commercial flocks and then cleaning the facilities. Federal officials say in some cases subcontractors hired by the Massachusetts company failed to pay overtime or the hourly wage that was paid did not match the federal guidelines. A news release from the Department of Labor indicates it’s searching for eligible employees who worked eight years ago at sites in Osceola, Sioux City and Cherokee. In 2015, Radio Iowa reported there were confirmed bird flu outbreaks in Osceola, Sioux and Cherokee COUNTIES, but not in those cities.
