Bosque Commissioners Court receives, files solar farm's certificate of completion

Bosque Commissioners Court receives, files solar farm's certificate of completion News Staff Wed, 03/06/2024 - 05:46 Image Body

The Bosque County Commissioners Court approved receiving and filing the certificate of completion by Elawan Dielo Solar LLC during its regular meeting on Monday, January 29, at the Bosque County Courthouse in Meridian.

Bosque County Judge Cindy Vanlandingham said that the county received documentation from the company that supported their certificate of completion the week prior.

“The completion certificate was issued by a third-party independent engineer with a document that was prepared by a recognized company with no attachment to the project certifying that the layout has achieved substantial completion,” the judge said. “And that is supported by the revision of a large amount of technical information and by their Project Site Visit observations.”

Vanlandingham added that the county received an email from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) stating that '...Dileo Solar Powered Generation Resource (DILEOSLR) has met the requirements to Commission a Resource and begin Commercial Operations onto the ERCOT Grid' from November 14, 2023.

In addition, the county received a capacity test report prepared by the Electric Power Engineers (EPE) who are the Leader of Electrical Engineering Consultants in Texas, showing a Capacity Result for the Dileo Project of 96 percent which is a value higher than the minimum standard capacity requested at 95 percent.

“We were also provided pictures of the solar panels that were damaged, and they were staked on the property,” she said. “They have since been shipped out, and they were under warranty, and they were waiting on the company to pick them up.”

Judge Vanlandingham stated that during a tour of the solar-power generating facility, Commissioner Ronny Liardon removed a potion of a solar panel with the company's permission. The piece will be available for public view in Vanlandingham's office, she said.

“As you can see, there are no leaking chemicals. There is nothing that will seep out of this. The glass is broken. The back is intact,” she said. “I would encourage anyone with questions that has never seen a solar panel to take the time to visit, look at it, and hold it in your hands.”

At the time of the meeting, Commissioner Precinct 3 Larry Philipps said he had toured the facility and found their operation impressive.

“If all businesses and factories were as clean as this one, we wouldn't have no worries,” Philipps said. “I mean, it was spotless. It had everything stacked up and everything was labeled. They said they were going to try to keep it that way, and I said, 'Well, that's good.”

Bosque County Commissioner Precinct 3 Billy Hall said he had an issue with granting the certificate, preferring to have a company representative explain to the county each step of the certification process.

“In my opinion, it seems like we're getting the cart before the horse,” Hall said. “It's just hard for me to grasp this and understand this process.”

Hall said that his email service had been down so he did not get Vanlandingham's notice of the tour of the facility scheduled for the Thursday prior to the court's meeting.

Vanlandingham explained that the county does not grant certificates of completion but rather simply receives and files such certificates with supporting documentation.

The motion to accept the certificate was made by Vanlandingham and seconded by Philips. All approved, according the minutes.

During the public comment period, Robin Schlemmer expressed her opposition to the 17 encroachment permits for the solar station near her property.

Among her concerns were future traffic congestion, flooding, and road wear and tear; she advocated granting the company fewer entrances on CR 3404.

“It's not your job to make it easier for them to do this project. It should be your job to make this the least amount of burden on the residents of Bosque County,” she said.

During the meeting the court approved several encroachment permits and denied several more in Precinct 3. The permits were requested by Moss & Associates.

The approved permits included 259 CR 3430, Area 1; CR 3405, Area 7.1; CR 3405, Area 8; CR 3240, Area 12; CR 3240, Area 16; CR 3405, Area 17; CR 3405, Area 18; and 428 CR 3240, OFFICE LAYDOWN YARD.

The denied permits included 729 CR 3430, Area 2.1; CR 3405, Area 2.2; CR 3405, Area 3; 1131 CR 3405, Area 6; CR 3430, Area 7.2; CR 3405, Area 10; 384 CR 3240, Area 13; CR 3240 Area 14; and CR 3240, Area 15.

Grant

The court approved the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program FY 2025 for the Bosque County Sheriff's Office.

The grant would assist the BSCO with fully replacing three CID vehicles, with no match requirement from the county.

Bosque County Sheriff Trace Hendricks said that each of the current pickups have almost 200,000 miles. The grant would also provide new equipment for the new vehicles.

Sheriff Hendricks said that the department has sent two deputies to receive more education in grant writing.

“We've applied and received grants in the past, but we're going to enhance those efforts now,” he said.

Interlocal agreement The court approved an interlocal agreement with and between Bosque County Precinct 1 and Kopperl ISD to spread dirt across the district's football field.

The up to six loads of dirt was recently donated to the school district, Commissioner Hall said, adding the price for the service will be $698.33.

ESD correction

The court approved a correction to the North Bosque ESD #1 Board of Commissioners' titles, noting that Jane Murphy will remain on the board and will continue serving as the assistant treasurersecretary.