MONTAGUE — With a July 17 open house on deck for the public to have a look at Geronimo Power's planned solar energy facility in White River Township, several residents spoke about the project during public comment periods at Tuesday's regular board meeting.
The open house is a prescribed step under Public Act 233, which grants Michigan the ability to make final siting decisions regarding renewable energy projects rather than going through municipalities.
Township residents have consistently expressed displeasure at the size of the planned project, which numbers about 1,500 acres, since the first version of it was first proposed in late 2022. The township board created a renewable energy district on Chemours property that it believes qualifies as a Compatible Renewable Energy Ordinance (CREO), which would allow the township say in the siting of the proposed project.
Two public commenters, Chelsea Bender and Melissa Lorenz, referenced the June board meeting, in which Geronimo representatives asked that residents direct questions to the company following the meeting. Bender reported that Geronimo's voicemail box was full when she attempted to call the company, and Lorenz said emails she and others in the township sent were not returned. Two others spoke against the project, while two commenters spoke in favor of renewable energy; Tracy Dobson, a township resident, said she hoped the township could be part of the solution in a move away from fossil fuels.
In other township business, planning commission chair Lauren Wackernagel was granted a $1,500 authorization to utilize civil engineering company Williams & Works to examine a special land use being considered on Lost Valley Road. A property owner is pursuing a potential outdoor events facility there, and the township has found there is no specific ordinance governing such a use, so the company would examine if the existing ordinance would allow for it. The possibility exists that that money could end up being paid back by the property owner as an escrow fee if the facility goes forward. Wackernagel added that township attorney Cliff Bloom has suggested a potential moratorium on such approvals once this one is settled in order to put a formal ordinance in place.
Supervisor Ron Bailey said the township must go back to the planning commission regarding its June attempt to pass a new short-term rental ordinance. The board passed what was intended to be the final version of the ordinance last month, but because it was a zoning change, the planning commission must pass it first before it is presented to the board for final approval.
Also during the meeting, Marty Holtgren presented a printout outlining the visioning document residents contributed to regarding Sadony Bayou restoration during three visioning sessions last year. The printout shared the current positives and negatives of the space as well as the things residents hope to see from the bayou in the future. Holtgren said he loved the community's excitement and passion about restoring the bayou and added that it likely came from the fact that the bayou has changed so quickly that some participants remembered what it was like when it was functioning in a more healthy manner than it currently is. Currently the bayou is largely covered in algae, with the now-dammed channel near it actually causing the White River to reverse its flow.
Trustee Laura Anderson, the township's representative on the White Lake Ambulance Authority board, shared that Fruitland Township has approached the WLAA about utilizing its services, and a meeting is planned to consider the possibility. Anderson also shared what she considered impressive WLAA response times of an average of just over eight minutes, as well as just over four minutes on "priority one", or life-threatening emergency calls.
The board unanimously appointed Steve Smith as plumbing inspector and Mike Reagan as mechanical inspector. Jim Calander, who previously had both posts, is having surgery and then retiring.
