Commissioners OK Palomino Solar RUMA, other approvals

Highland County commissioners Terry Britton, David Daniels and Brad Roades made several approvals during a brief meeting Wednesday, Nov. 22, with a light agenda on the day before Thanksgiving.

Commissioners — who commemorated the holiday by hosting the meeting alongside a taxidermied turkey, courtesy of Roades — wished the community a happy Thanksgiving.

“Make sure you enjoy your family and friends, and don’t eat too much,” Britton said.

For a second straight week, commissioners approved a Roadway Use, Repair and Maintenance Agreement (RUMA) for an area solar project, as they voted 3-0 to authorize the agreement between the Highland County Engineer’s Office and Palomino Solar.

The Ohio Power Siting Board voted 8-1, with ad hoc member Dodson Township Trustee Ty Smith dissenting, to approve the project in April of this year.

According to the Innergex website (innergex.com), “Innergex is the developer and will finance, construct and be the long-term owner and operator of the proposed 200 MW Palomino Solar Energy Project.

“Palomino will be located in Dodson and Union Townships, just east of Lynchburg, in Highland County. The Project will add clean energy to Ohio’s electrical grid, providing enough power to meet the energy needs of over 40,000 Ohioan households. Construction will be funded by Innergex and the power will be sold to a large energy buyer, most likely a creditworthy corporation or electric utility.”

The project is anticipated to “be located across 2,700 acres of private land, with an anticipated area to be impacted of 1,410 acres,” according to PUCO documents.

As previously reported, a RUMA between the Highland County Engineer’s Office and Dodson Creek Solar, LLC was authorized at commissioners’ Nov. 15 meeting. Dodson Creek, developed by National Grid Renewables, is expected to be an up to 117 megawatt (MW) solar development spanning approximately 1,429 acres in Dodson and Hamer townships. It was approved by the Ohio Power Siting Board in September 2022.  

Also for the Engineer’s Office, commissioners voted 3-0 to authorize the execution of a change order for the New Market Road reconstruction and resurfacing project, to reflect quantity changes and a price decrease of $5,440.70.

“That’s usually an increase, so that's good,” Britton said.

In other action, commissioners voted 3-0 to accept a quote from Parry Landscaping for snow removal services on county property.

Commissioners held a bid opening at their Nov. 15 meeting, with Parry Landscaping submitting the only bid. Since then, however, the contractors submitted a revised, lowered bid for the walkway through Beech Street.

The revised bid accepted Wednesday was: snow removal and ice melt, $200 for the Highland County Courthouse, $75 for the Highland County Administration Building and $25 for the walkway at Beech Street; and for ice melt only, $113, $56 and $20, respectively.

“What happened was they were thinking it was the whole sidewalks along Beech Street, instead of just the little walkway between the areas,” Roades said.

Other unrelated approvals Wednesday included agreeing to a renewal of a planned service agreement between Johnson Controls Fire Protection LP and the Sheriff’s Office for the Highland County Justice Center; applying for annual spay/neuter grant funding through the Ohio Pet Fund; and sending a letter of support for the Alternatives to Violence Center for Office of Criminal Justice Services funding.

Commissioners also approved the following resolutions, each by a 3-0 vote:

• A resolution to authorize the Highland County Soil and Water Department to purchase a 2023 Jeep Compass, not to exceed $39,192, from Mt. Orab Ford.

• An additional appropriation from unanticipated revenue within Commissioners, Motor Vehicle in the amount of $39,120.

• A budget modification within County General (1000) in the amount of $3,300.

• A budget modification within County General (1000) in the amount of $1,400.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the CAO Housing Rehabilitation, 2530 budget in the amount of $118,913.75.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the CAO Home, 2535 budget in the amount of $243,656.

• A budget modification within County General (1000) in the amount of $13,000.

In other discussion:

• Commissioners announced that their Wednesday, Dec. 6 meeting will be moved up one day, to Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 9 a.m., due to the County Commissioners Association of Ohio’s winter conference.

• Commissioners said the Pickaway County recycling coordinator has agreed to “pick up the slack” with the county’s recycling program when current coordinator Tara Campbell of Community Action steps down at the end of the year. Britton and Daniels said they are “still looking for” a local agency to “partner” with to run the program.

• After their regular meeting, commissioners entered an executive session with human resources director Amy Bradley to discuss employee compensation. A work session was also scheduled for 10 a.m. to continue discussion of the county’s Healthy Aging Grant. No action was anticipated.