During the Custer County Board of Supervisors meeting, project updates were provided along with potential opportunities for upgrades.
Prairie Hill Wind Project Update
Lindsay Mouw and Alex Chandler from Invenergy provided an update on the Prairie Hill Wind Project, located south of Mason City and extending west toward Highway 183. The project began with a series of pre-construction environmental surveys conducted between 2017 and 2019. Spanning 46,000 acres, the project is under lease for a 10-year development period.
Mouw shared that the plan is to install 46 wind turbines, forming a 200-megawatt (MW) wind power generation facility in Custer County called the Prairie Hills Wind Energy Center. A 200 MW facility can generate enough electricity to power over 84,000 homes in the United States. This large-scale project will also contribute about $3,500 per megawatt annually to the county, a sum similar to a property tax replacement, according to Mouw.
Currently, the project team is working with Olsson on geotechnical surveys to analyze soil conditions and will soon begin conducting ALTA surveys for the aerial area of the project. Invenergy has also met with the Custer County Road Superintendent to discuss road use. They have drafted a Road Use Agreement (RUA), which requires approval before construction can begin. Additionally, they are awaiting finalization of a red-lines agreement with the County Road Superintendent and County Attorney.
“Our goal is to leave the roads as good or better than they were found,” said Chandler.
County Supervisor Sara Parliament, representing District 7, raised concerns about Main Street in Mason City, which is a heavily traveled route for residents and may be impacted by the heavy trucks needed for the project. Chandler emphasized that with the support of the county roads department, the company is working on the red-lines agreement to ensure minimal disruption and to maintain road conditions.
The project is currently in the development phase, including finalizing permits, environmental studies, and interconnection studies. Invenergy aims to begin construction later this year, with full operation expected by December 2027.
Invenergy has successfully developed five sustainable energy projects in Nebraska and is exploring additional opportunities in the state.
Road Armor Coating Bid
The Custer County Board of Supervisors awarded the 2025 Road Armor Coating contract to Sta-Bilt Construction. The project for this year includes approximately 28 to 35 miles of roadwork.
County Laptop Upgrade
In response to ongoing discussions, county supervisors have highlighted the benefits of providing laptops to each member for easier access to paperwork and materials before meetings. A recent update to the system they currently use involves the installation of an upgraded version of Microsoft, enabling access to Teams, Word, and Excel, to improve accessibility for the supervisors.
Eakes Office Solutions Proposal
Representatives from Eakes Office Solutions presented a proposal for upgrading the county’s phone system. The upgrade would include new and improved features, such as fax machine opportunities, direct safety buttons in the office, and remote access to voicemails and calls etc. Ten other Nebraska counties have already signed contracts with Eakes and reported savings of $750 to $1,800 per month by switching services.
The county supervisors agreed that a no-obligation analysis would be helpful to determine if the services could provide potential cost savings for the county.
Other Items
Recycling Manager Kelly Flynn provided the quarterly recycling report, noting that prices in the recycling market do not appear to be increasing in the near future.
The Custer County Assessor presented recommendations for permissive exemptions, which each supervisor reviewed, detailing the approval or denial status for various organizations in their districts.
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Custer County Board of Supervisors will be held on March 25, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. on the top floor of the Custer County Courthouse.
