The Huntley Farmside

              Inside Del Webb's 100th birthday celebration • Huntley North receives grant
35 cents
Thursday, May
The HimtleY Farmside
20,1999 A Press Publications newspaper ar serving the Huntley comnnunity V
Volume 39, Issue 6
Business leaders speak out on power plant issue
Steve Brosinski
Press Publications
The McHenry County Eco¬ nomic Development Corpora¬ tion invited business leaders to comment Wednesday on whether the county has enough electricity to sustain a growing workforce.
MCEDC President Jim Allen said the corporation isn't endors¬ ing the proposal to build a 300 megawatt power plant near Woodstock, but it would like to see more open discussion on the issue.
"We're not backing any spe¬ cific plan," Allen said. "What we are saying is that we need additional energy. We feel peak power plants may be an answer, and they may not he the answer."
Allen said business leaders are critical of how one-sided the complaints have been in opposi¬ tion to the proposed power plant. The MCEDC held the meeting at TC Industries in Prairie Grove.
Company heads of TC Indus¬ tries, Brake Parts of McHenry, Wells Manufacturing of Wood¬ stock, Scott Forge of Spring Grove and Bardett Manufactur¬ ing were asked to attend.
Allen said that unless the increased demand for power is met, companies may experience problems never before faced in McHenry County.
"In the past we had all the power from Commonwealth Edison. Now with deregulation they can sell off these plants and be distributors," Allen said. "We feel the peaker plants are pretty important."
Meanwhile, Create Aware-
"We don't want to get involved with the
decisions of the County Board or the
Zoning Board on where the plant should
be located. We just want to make the
point that there is a need
for reliable energy."
Jim Allen
President of the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation
ness for Responsible Environ¬ ment, a citizens group opposed to the power plant, is lobbying the county to deny permission for a zoning request. CARE, which organized Stop the Stacks, seeks to galvanize sup¬ port through public awareness.
Diane Tumball of CARE said the business community has been given an opportunity to speak out.
"I think our power needs in the considerable future are in good shape. I don't know why they (business leaders) haven't made a public comment at the ZBA meetings," Tumball said.
Tumball said community support has been consistent throughout the county's Zoning Board hearings.
"We are very pleased with the strong showing of community support. We've had strong show- • ing at the ZBA meetings. Our petition drive has thousands of signatures and we get 20 to 30 calls everyday on the hot line."
McHenry County has about 8,000 companies and an esti¬ mated workforce of 140,000. Without a reliable energy source, Allen said companies'
ability to operate in McHenry can be in jeopardy.
"We don't want to get involved with the decisions of the County Board or the Zoning Board on where the plant should be located. We just want to make the point that there is a need for reliable energy," Allen said.
Allen said the so-called peak¬ er plants are sure to show up all over the Midwest power grid.
"Our job is to facilitate and make sure business is heard," Alien said.
Responding to the possibility of the county ranning out of power, Tumball said that would be unlikely.
"At this point it is clearly indicated there is 1.1 gigawatts more power in the ComEd sys¬ tem than calculated to be in the peak-demand day in the sum¬ mer. If those calculations are off then ComEd can still buy power somewhere else," she said.
Power outages, such as the one that occurred Sunday, are mainly because of deficiencies in the power distribution sys¬ tem, Tumball said.
see Plant—page 2
Members of the Post Prom Committee get together. The 1999 Post Prom, "Island Paradise," was a big success. High school stu¬ dents enjoyed a night of dancing, games, prizes, food and a hypno¬ tist. The committee wants to thank everyone who was involved in helping make the event successful.
Buralli will appear before Village Board
Steve Brosinski
Press Publications
The developer of a proposed major retail/corporate center will meet with the Village Board on Thursday.
Joseph Buralli of HunUey Investments is scheduled to update village officials at 7 p.m. Thursday on plans to build a combined retail/Zoffice center just north of Sun City.
Huntley Regency Square would be located almost direct¬ ly across from Prime Groups "Power Center" retail/commer¬ cial center.
Buralli's group bought the 200-acre site with plans to develop 10 lots in a U-shaped
center. Del Webb would like to build a corporate center that would be connected to Sun City, a village official said.
Prime, which is spending millions of dollars on a retail outlet on the west side of Route 47, sued the village a month ago for allowing Buralli to develop the land as commercial. The suit alleges that according to the recently updated comprehensive plan the property should be zoned residential.
So far, the village has been receptive to Buralli's plans. The Village Board earlier unani¬ mously approved a conceptual plan and the Zoning Board approved plans last week.