Consider it

For the second time in as many months, representatives from RWE Renewables have visited the village board in Curtiss to propose a potentially lucrative lease of village land. The company has been trying for about a year to sign up private landowners who may be interested in having wind turbines installed on their properties. The ultimate goal is to develop a wind farm in northeast Clark County that encompasses 15,000 acres.

While all landowners, public and private, should be cautious about signing over access to their land, we think Curtiss is in a unique position to cash in at a low risk. RWE has made it clear that it’s not looking to erect any turbines within village limits, simply because state law prevents it from doing so with so many houses and other buildings around. The company is only asking to lease vacant land, without any plans to construct buildings or other above-ground infrastructure.

According to literature from the company, provided to village officials in November, Curtiss would see a $5,000 signing bonus for enrolling 170 acres of land into the wind farm. During the first five years of the lease agreement, the annual payments would add up to just over $12,000. Over a 30year period, the company’s compensation would amount to nearly $250,000.

For such a small commitment, we feel the village should take a good, hard look at taking this deal. RWE obviously sees the village’s cross-section of land as an opportune area for connecting several of its wind turbines en route to a substation planned south of Abbotsford. The land in question could still be used for other purposes by the village as long the underground collection cable is not disturbed.

This offer comes at a time when Curtiss is looking for ways to pay for enhanced police protection. The village’s general fund will surely benefit from the taxes generated by the construction of three new apartment buildings, but it remains to be seen if that will be enough to pay for a part-time sheriff’s deputy to patrol the village. Taking RWE up on its offer may be the best way to ensure the money is available for a valuable public service.