CHENANGO COUNTY – More than 200 acres near the Chenango County Correctional Facility may or may not be a good site for alternative energy production – but Norwich resident Todd Dreyer was given permission to find out.
Dreyer, who is also the City of Norwich Planning Director, went before the county’s Agriculture, Buildings and Grounds Committee requesting permission to examine – on a volunteer basis – the possibility of siting a wood-chip burning facility on 223 acres of county-owned land that sits next to the Valley Ridge CIT and across from the new jail. Dreyer gave no projections or predictions for a concrete project, but believes the possibility of heating both county facilities with a renewable and abundant resource, like wood, is worth a closer look.
“I have no delusions. Perhaps this might not be the right use, perhaps this property may have a better use,” said Dreyer, acknowledging that selling the property, as it has been recently discussed, may turn out to be a better route. “It (alternative energy) might – in the long run – provide more return for the county.”
The committee pointed out the practical sense of a wood-chip burner in theory, considering the amount of marginal timber in the area and the instances of downed trees, such as those from Monday’s snow storm.
“This whole concept intrigues me,” said Supervisor Dennis Brown (D-Pharsalia). “We (county and town public works), in our daily routine, produce a lot of wood chips. It would be foolish not to look into it.”
Brown and others on the committee discussed the pros and cons of corn ethanol, citing bio-mass and cellulosic ethanol (produced from farm and environmental waste products, i.e. wood chips) as more logical economic and environmental approaches considering corn production is not one of the county’s strengths.
“Any farm that jumps into that boat will go bankrupt,” said Supervisor Lawrence Wilcox (R-Oxford), referring to corn ethanol production.
Wilcox added that farmers would be able to provide plenty of energy if wood were given that value.
“Right now there’s no incentive to do that,” he said, referring to clearing wood lands of marginal timber.
Dreyer believes Chenango County and the City of Norwich should focus on becoming a hub of alternative energy production.
“This is one of our economic strengths, quite frankly,” Dreyer said. “We should be ground zero for alternative energy.”
The committee passed a resolution to involve the county Planning Department in Dreyer’s study. Dreyer plans on submitting an outline to the committee next month explaining the scope of the project, with a final analysis ready by September.
Also discussed was a proposal offered by the Chenango County Farm Bureau to possibly site a methane digester near the correctional facility on separate property. The digester is still in the concept phase, but if ever built would heat and provide electricity for the jail using manure from local farms. The project has not been formally presented to the county.