Early last week, Dave Koster, general manager at the Holland BPW, was on the air with WPNW, “The Pledge.” Koster discussed the location for the proposed new energy facility as well as some of the reactions from business tenants and residents most affected by the decision.

Listen Now:

The broadcast first aired on WPNW, The Pledge (96.5 FM / 1260 AM) Tuesday, July 30.

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Holland, MI—The Holland Board of Public Works today announced that Holland City Council has approved a buy/sell agreement for a parcel of land that will be the cornerstone of the community’s new power generating facility.

Located at the east end of Holland, the land approved for purchase is a 9.7 acre commercial/industrial parcel located around the intersection of Fifth Street and Fairbanks Avenue.

“We’re very pleased to have reached an agreement on the site,” said David Koster, Holland BPW general manager. “It is ideally located for maintenance and possible expansion of our snowmelt system and provides the needed proximity to downtown for potential district heating. In addition, we believe that the project will positively enhance the eastern gateway to the city.”

The project timing calls for the relocation of 17 commercial tenants at the site to begin in the late summer or early fall, and demolition of the existing site structures will take place late this year. In addition to the 9.7-acre parcel, the HBPW will also acquire a number of residential and commercial properties in the immediate vicinity that are needed to complete the project.

View the HBPW Power Plant Project Timeline »

This includes about 21 residential properties in the immediate vicinity, but residents there won’t be affected until some time in 2014.  The Holland BPW has already contracted a local firm to begin discussions with residents about the project and to negotiate for property purchases.

“We plan to maintain open lines of communication with the residents and property owners in the area and proceed in a very fair and responsible way with the intended property purchases,” Koster said.

After the extensive evaluation of new power needs and supply in the P21 process, which included public education events, citizen and stakeholder input and a Sustainable Return on Investment analysis, the Holland BPW began site selection for the new facility by looking at nine potential sites across the community. Considerations that helped identify the site included site conditions, available space and access to services such as water supply, gas supply, transmission interconnection and roads. In addition, for services like snowmelt–and possibly district heating–to be cost effective, the site needed to be close enough to downtown to allow for efficient transfer of heat. The provision of those services is an important part of the economic and energy efficiency goals in the Community Energy Plan.

With thoughtful design, careful construction and the installation of an attractive greenbelt, the facility and its surrounding area will provide an aesthetically pleasing entry way at the east end of the City of Holland.

“This is an exciting project for our community,” Koster said. “We’re taking a giant step toward a cleaner, more sustainable energy future and using the new facility to make enhancements to the community across the board.”

The Holland Board of Public Works (HBPW) is a community-owned enterprise providing electric generation and distribution, water, wastewater treatment and broadband utility services to nearly 28,000 business and residential customers in the Holland area. HBPW is committed to enhancing the economic and environmental vitality of the community, providing reliable services at the lowest rates achievable through innovation and efficiency.

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