| Boundaries set |
By Brent Zell
Posted online: February 13, 2007
| The Minnehaha County Commissioners voted last Tuesday to create the
boundaries for a possible tax increment finance district for a proposed ethanol
plant near Sherman. The 5-0 vote put the boundaries around the tract of land – covering approximately 300 acres – that is located northeast of Sherman. The motion did not give final approval for the tax district, which would freeze taxes within the district at their current level for a certain amount of years. Minnehaha County Planning Director Scott Anderson told the commission that a project plan by the plant’s backers would have to be approved first by the county’s planning commission and then the county commission in order for the district to be brought to life. |
|
| The proposed district’s boundaries were set at
488th Avenue on the east to 249th Street on the north and 250th Street on the
south. The western most boundary of the district would be 487th Avenue. Other
roads that run west to east would be used for boundaries on the district’s
western edge. Anderson said that the planning commission approved the boundaries
proposal at its January 22 meeting. Commissioner Robert Kolbe had concerns about creating the district, specifically about the possibility that there wouldn’t be enough water in the Sherman area to operate an ethanol plant. The plant would need at least 500 gallons of water per minute. Trying to put a plant in an area with insufficient water would be “as dumb as buying a Hummer and living in Harding County and the nearest gas station is 100 miles away,” said Kolbe. The commissioner also had concerns about what would happen if the plant failed before the time for the district ran out. However, Commissioner John Pekas said that action needed to be taken now. “I’d rather jump in with both feet now than worry about what’s going to happen 20 years from now,” he said. The plat of land near Sherman is one of a handful of possible sites for a 50-million-gallons per year ethanol plant proposed by Brandon-based Buffalo Ridge Energy. Last month, Buffalo Ridge Board Chairman Greg Van Zanten said that the Sherman site was the frontrunner. |
|
Copyright © 2007, Garretson
Weekly
