Eagles grounded

Falcons’ fast start sinks Eagles

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WEATHER

Fresh food, spices and more

Healthy options among key goals of the new Plum Creek Market

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United Drive �nal totals are in2015 numbers re�ect a downturn in giving from previous years

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DID YOU KNOW?

In recent years, Windom native Dewey Moede has had a desire to return to his hometown and preach.

It appears that’s going to happen.

Together with Moede, local residents are in the early stages of organizing an old-fashioned revival in Windom for sometime in August. �e event will include guest speakers, in addition to Moede, as well as music.

Watch for more details in a future issue of the Citizen.

Revival in Windom planned for August

S E E BUILDING •PA G E 1 4

S E E TURBINES •PA G E 1 4

DAVE FJELD 4/06 Kregister 91

EMMA QUADE WAS all smiles as she held up a plastic scorpion during a short play time in Jen Huska’s kindergarten room. Emma was having fun playing with a bin full of plastic reptiles and dinosaurs.

DAVE FJELD 4/06 Kregister 80

EVA WILDERMUTH was busy carefully coloring a picture during free time.

DAVE FJELD 4/06 Kregister 44

EDUARDO GUILLEN RODRIGUEZ learned how to move objects on the classroom smartboard. With help from Mrs. Huska, Eduardo moved bus 3 to the next in order.

DAVE FJELD 4/06 Kregister 71

Intro to kindergartenStudents get �rst taste of school

Next year’s kindergart-ners got a taste of what school at Winfair Elemen-tary will be like during kindergarten registration at the school Friday.

While parents met with Elementary Principal Jamie Frank in the cafeteria, youngsters divided into groups and got a brief and encouraging taste of what they can expect when they come to Winfair in the fall.

Jen Huska played a CD and turned pages of the book “Kindergarten Rocks,” showing the curious 4- and 5-year-olds that kindergarten can be exciting and fun.

Students also got a chance to work with the classroom smartboard, color, play games and play with toys.

ISABEL PESINA and Daniel Staples did a little fishing by dipping their line (with a magnet as bait) into a bucket of construction paper fish, each with a metal paper clip. When the magnet clicked on the paper clip, they pulled up their lines.

Wind farm project could wrap up in July� The Odell Wind Farm will result in 100 new turbines south of Mt. Lake and east-Windom.

The finish line is finally in sight for the Odell Wind Tower project.

When construction started, developers said they expected the project to be fin-ished April 30. Since then, the anticipated completion date has been moved to July 31. Currently, more than 100 workers arehustling to install wind towers southeast of Mt. Lake and Windom.

When the $320 million project is fin-ished, 100 turbines will be in operation.

To date, the following work has been completed:

•  nstallation of  ne  access roads andtemporary intersection improvements.

•  nstallation of  all  ind turbine foun-dations.

•  nstallation of  115 -volt and 345 -voltsubstations, a transmission line and col-lection system.

•  onstruction of  the operations andmaintenance building.

•  elivery of  75 percent of  the turbinecomponents to the site.

• Erection of  the  rst 20 turbines.The project was initiated in 2009 by

Geronimo Energy, which is led by rural Mt.  a e native  oel  ahn.  t  as sold to Algonquin Power in 2014. The develop-ment spans more than 24,000 acres.

The project is led by Algonquin, Algon-quin’s sister company, Liberty Utilities, and partners, such as Wanzek Construc-tion, based in West Fargo. Sarah Aspinall, an Algonquin communications special-ist, says a variety of factors held up the project.

“Odell is a large project with many components, so the delay in completing the facility is the result of several factors including unseasonably wet weather and muddy conditions in the fall and winter, equipment and construction delays and the annual thaw period starting much earlier than usual this year (Feb. 22), re-sulting in an earlier than anticipated load restriction period,” Aspinall said. “These types of challenges are standard within the wind industry and Algonquin and its partners are well-versed in resolving these types of challenges.”

Aspinall said that through the delay area landowners have been patient and accommodating.

Construction plan modifiedAs a result of the delays, project plan-

ners decided to begin installing turbines over winter.

The initial delivery of turbines began in November and continued into Febru-ary, until the spring thaw became a factor.

Among the challenges of installing turbines during the winter months are high winds, precipitation and cold tem-peratures.

“Excessive mud from rain and melt-ing snow presents its own challenge as it becomes difficult to move machinery and people through the site,” Aspinall said. “There are days when we are simply not able to work due to especially hazardous or poor weather conditions.”

At the same time, crews can ben-

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� Councilman Bryan Joyce stressed that plans for the Emergency Services Building remain tentative.

An estimated 300 people poured into the Windom Community Center Monday night for a discussion on a proposed ambulance and fire department building.

Afterward, many people remarked that on this night they learned things from Windom city leaders, emergency officials and the public. There was debate about pros and cons, cost and value, location and response time.

However, no firm deci-

sions emerged Monday night. That was not the goal.

Early on, Bryan Joyce of the Windom city council stressed the word “tentative” in describing a proposal for the Emergency Services Building. He also told the crowd that construction of an ESB is easily the coun-cil’s top priority.

The current $4.6 million ESB proposal calls for a 19,400-square-foot, precast concrete building to be con-structed at Witt Park, which is just west of the Square.

f  the city fails in its effort to land $2.2 million in state bonding, the plan for annual debt service repayment calls

for: a com-bined annual payment of $30,000 from townships, Bingham Lake and Wilder; a monthly $5 per household emergency service fee; and fund transfers from city liquor ($40,000), elec-tric ($25,000) and hospital $10,000) coffers.

“We are comfortable with this plan, but the final deter-mination won’t come until we actually have to award

Fire, ambulance meeting brings into focus views on new buildingInfo session draws 300 people

� Residents offer views on cost, site, design. /Page 14

IN DEPTH

DAVE FJELD 4/6 ESCmeeting 20AREA RESIDENTS PACKED the Windom Community Center for Monday night’s informational meeting.

REVIVAL

groundedFalcons’ fast start

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efit from stretches of good weather which allow them to make up for any weather-related delays.

Once the spring thaw is no longer a factor, plans are to deliver more turbines this month and in May.

At times, there have been as many as 150 workers at the construction sites. From now until the July comple-tion date, developers expect to see roughly 100 wind tower workers in the area.

The new towers will each generate 2 megawatts of power. The tower portion is 256 feet tall and the blades on each turbine are 176 feet

long.

The futureAspinall said there is

plenty of enthusiasm about the project and its future.

“Looking forward, we are very excited to continue to build strong, positive relationships with our landowner and community partners who have been so patient and accommodat-ing throughout this entire process,” Aspinall said.

Among the tasks ahead is the establishment of a com-munity fund board that will seek to donate to local chari-ties and nonprofit organiza-tions. About $40,000 per year have been allocated for this purpose.

Meanwhile, Aspinall pointed out that the project has already had a positive impact on the area’s econo-

my.Company officials say that

during construction, about 200 temporary construction jobs were created for the project. They estimate that more than $425,000 was spent locally toward temporary working, living and enter-tainment related expenses.

Algonquin officials also estimate that, to date, about $10 million of the $70 million construction cost has been spent locally. That number does not include the pur-chase of turbines and main power transformers, or the additional funds required for expenses such as tem-porary housing, meals and entertainment for construc-tion workers.

Of course, the project will also have a long-term finan-cial impact on the region. That includes $1.1 million in

landowner payments, plus $850,000 per year in area tax revenue (80 percent to area counties and 20 percent to townships).

“During operation, we’ve estimated a direct impact of roughly $50 million over a 20-year period in landowner payments, tax revenue, com-munity funding and local jobs,” Aspinall said.

A plant manager was hired late last year and there are plans to eventually hire operators for the site.

In addition, the wind turbine supplier has hired 10 people to handle mainte-nance for Odell Wind Farm.

“Those employees will receive operations and maintenance training to work at Odell once opera-tions begin,” Aspinall said. “Those are all high quality, permanent jobs.

TURBINES/ New towers will be 256 feet tallF R O M PA G E 1

SUBMITTEDCREWS SET IN PLACE one of the giant turbines in a field east of Windom. This tower is near County Road 84 and 590th Avenue.

BUILDING/ Old hall no longer fills modern needsF R O M PA G E 1

bids,” Joyce told the audi-ence. “We have not called for bids yet.”

Throughout the two-hour meeting, residents raised concerns about cost, loca-tion and the structure itself. However, nearly every person who stepped before the microphone started by saying that Windom clearly need a new fire and ambu-lance building.

Unexpected crowdHeading into the meet-

ing, organizers were unsure how many people to expect.

Community Center Director Brad Bussa set out 250 chairs while closing a partition that cuts the audi-torium in half. As Monday’s meeting began, seats were scarce and Bussa’s staff brought in 100 more chairs which were set up in the back of the room.

The group was quiet ear-ly on, knowing they could speak after they heard details about the project.

The projectAmong the first to speak

was Fire Chief Dan Ort-mann.

Ortmann said much has changed since the city first looked at fire hall additions in 2005. He gave a detailed report on the design com-mittee’s activity, dating back to its first meeting, in July of 2014.

Both Ortmann and Ambulance Director Tim Hacker described factors that went into site selection and building design. They each noted that their trucks barely squeeze into the cur-rent fire hall. Much of their equipment is stored off site.

Ortmann noted that 14 years of fire call reports show that the Witt Park site is the best spot, in terms of response time. Hacker said response time, related to his department, has more to do with the amount of time it takes Emergency Manage-ment Technicians to get to the ambulance from their home or workplace.

“This (Witt Park) is a cen-trally located area,” Hacker said. “I’m sorry that it is taking out a park. Where else are we supposed to go to provide a safe but quick response time?”

Regarding the proposal to build the project using precast concrete, Ortmann pointed out that the design committee received esti-mates for both a precast concrete building and a steel building.

Ortmann said the com-mittee scaled back initial estimates significantly, cutting out large windows and a balcony to reduce the project’s cost. The estimates for the two build-ings, including things like engineering, architectural and tennis court relocation costs:

• Precast building — $4.5million.

• Steel building — $3.4million.

“We looked at longevity and storm resistance,” Ort-mann said, adding that the life expectancy of a precast building is 80 years, versus steel, which is 40 years.

If the building gets $2.2 million in state bonds, it would use an equal amount of city funds and in-kind services. The annual debt service would be $51,000 to $110,000, depending on the funding mechanism.

If state bonding efforts fail, the city and fire district would cover the additional $2.2 million and Windom’s annual debt service would be $166,000 to $253,750.

The Windom city coun-cil met again last night (Tuesday), after this edition went to press. The council is scheduled to revisit the ESB issue and hold a public hearing regarding General Obligation Capital Improve-ment Bonds on April 19.

Council gets views on cost, design, site� Fourteen area residents spoke at Monday’s meeting.

An hour into Monday’s special meeting on Win-dom’s fire and ambulance building — after a detailed presentation on the design and funding — the public comment period began.

In all, 14 residents spoke, plus two representatives of companies that build steel-framed fire halls around the country. While support for a new building seemed univer-sal, the proposed structure’s cost, site and design were all addressed by the public.

“My concern is the financ-ing,” said Marv Grunig, a former city electric super-intendent. “One of the (debt payment sources) is taking funding from the electric reserve. These reserve funds belong to the electric cus-tomers.”

Grunig said funds should be used for projects done on the customers’ behalf, such as system improvements and the transmission system.

Shelby Medina, admin-istrator of Windom Area Hospital raised concerns about the council’s 3-2 vote to annually transfer $10,000 in hospital funds to help pay the ESB debt. She said the hospital faces stiff compe-

tition from other medical providers in the region.

“If the council starts tak-ing money from the hospital, you will realize what a poor decision this was,” Medina said.

Jim Krueger of Windom questioned the predicted life expectancies that show the cost per year of a steel build-ing is $92,500 compared to $50,000 for precast concrete.

“I find it interesting that a steel building is only a 40-year building (predicted lifespan),” Krueger said. “Many people in Windom live in houses that are 60 to 70 years old, or older and they are just stick-built buildings, not steel build-ings. When you give the cost per year on a steel building, we wonder a little about your arithmetic, or intelli-gence, or what.”

Krueger added that the council may not be best served spending extra dol-lars for an 80-year building.

“How old is your current fire hall, 50 years?” Krueger asked. “Ask any fireman, it is functionally obsolete. Is there a need for an 80-to-100-year building? How about building a building that is physically obsolete by the time it is functionally obsolete? Look at the latest

fire department building in Rochester. If they think they need a precast building, they can build a precast building. They built a steel building.”

Later in the meeting, Councilmen Paul Johnson and Dominic Jones asked the representatives of two steel building firms if they could build a structure based on the current design. Each said it is possible. Jones asked them how soon they could submit a propos-al. Each stated one could be finished within four weeks.

DAVE FJELD 4/6 ESCmeeting 49BARB LACANNE OF Windom said she worries about street safety at the proposed site.