Local residents continued to express their strong opposition to the installation of wind turbines outside Green Forest at the Carroll County Quorum Court’s regular meeting on Tuesday, May 16, even as county officials insisted they have no authority to stop or even delay the project.
Scout Clean Energy, based in Boulder, Colo., plans for the “Nimbus” project to expand over approximately 9,000 acres — about 14 square miles — in Carroll County, much of it along County Road 905 southeast of Green Forest.
Scout says the project could generate up to 180 megawatts of electricity at peak demand — enough to power almost 30,000 homes. Scout says it has signed lease agreements with more than 50 landowners and estimates that the 30-year project will generate more than $14 million in lease payments and $25 million in tax revenue for the county.
The project has been a hot topic at quorum court meetings since March, although it has not appeared on the court’s agenda. Instead, residents have made their concerns during the portion of each meeting dedicated for public comments.
Opponents of the project say they are concerned about its impact on the environment, the health of animals and humans and the potential damage to county roads.
One of the most vocal opponents has been former county judge Richard Williams, who spoke again at the May 16 meeting. Williams criticized the quorum court’s policy of limiting each speaker during public comments to three minutes, even after he was allowed extra time to speak on behalf of a friend who is opposed to the project but was unable to attend the meeting.
“Ladies and gentlemen, three minutes is not enough time to communicate and discuss with citizens their concerns of county issues at quorum court meetings,” Williams said.
In response to a question from District 1 JP Jack Deaton, Williams acknowledged that the allotted time for public comments during his time as county judge was three minutes.
“That was what was on the agenda,” Williams said. “But that doesn’t mean it’s right. It can be changed.”
Public comments and questions from JPs took up a little more than 42 minutes at the May 16 meeting, although not all of the public comments were in regard to the Nimbus project.
During the portion of the meeting designated for JPs’ comments, Deaton said he sympathizes with residents opposed to the project and understands their concerns.
“It’s a shame that one person’s rights can interfere with another person’s rights,” Deaton said. “But we’re stuck with the deal. Several years ago, we talked about zoning for Carroll County. This courtroom was jammed … Nobody wanted zoning for Carroll County. Cities have zoning now. There’s a city that has zoning that you cannot paint your house without letting them to approve what color you’re going to paint it. The rural people don’t want me telling them what to do on their property. … I can understand your frustrations … but the thing of it is, at our level, we cannot do anything about it.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the May 16 meeting, District 11 JP John Howerton said the county has selected an architect for a potential judicial building that also could serve as a voting center. Howerton said he and County Judge David Writer met with the architect.
“We gave him our wish list of what we wanted to include in the project,” Howerton said. “We toured the jail. (Sheriff Daniel Klatt) had some ideas that the architect was on board with completely, saving as much space and money as possible.”
Howerton said county attorneys are reviewing a proposed contract with the architect. Howerton sponsored an ordinance that was approved by the quorum court at the May 16 meeting to transfer $10,000 from the courthouse fund to pay for the initial architecture work that would allow the county to determine a starting budget for the project.
“After we see those solid numbers and talk among ourselves a little bit, we might — and probably will —have to trim things up a little bit before we go any further,” Howerton said.
JPs approved the supplemental appropriation ordinance sponsored by Howerton by a vote of 9-0, with District 5 JP Matt Phillips and District 10 JP Jerry King absent.
JPs also voted 9-0 to approve an ordinance establishing a full-time deputy sheriff’s position and appropriate a total of $32,788.78 to fund the position for the remainder of 2023. The position will pay $36,920 a year.
Deaton explained that the city of Holiday Island will reimburse the county for the costs of adding the deputy, who will be assigned there. Holiday Island also will purchase a vehicle for the deputy to use.
The Carroll County Quorum Court’s next regular meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, in the courtroom of the Eastern District courthouse in Berryville.
