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Commissioners approve termination of Baker Oven Solar road-use agreement, contingent on project completion
Summary
The board voted to terminate the road-use agreement with Bake Oven Solar LLC after public works staff reported required repairs were completed; approval was conditioned on confirming the project is finished and no further heavy construction traffic will occur.
Wasco County commissioners voted to terminate the road-use agreement with Bake Oven Solar LLC after Public Works Director Arthur Smith reported the company had completed construction, delivered panels, removed major crews and fixed identified road damage.
Arthur Smith, Wasco County public works director, told the board that Bake Oven Solar’s construction crews have left and “all those solar panels have been delivered, installed, and they've actually moved out their entire construction crews,” and that the company “has satisfied all the terms of the agreement.” Smith said crews completed temporary cold patches and later installed permanent patches where the road surface had been damaged and that his department will continue monitoring and maintaining the county road.
Why it matters: the road-use agreement (originally signed in August 2020) governed use of Bake Oven Road for construction traffic for the solar project and required repair and maintenance to protect the county road. Commissioners said terminating the agreement clears the county’s docket, but several members emphasized they wanted confirmation that work is truly complete and that no further high-volume, oversized loads are expected before final closeout.
Board members and staff discussed related activity along Bake Oven Road: a separate fiber-optic permit issued to TransCascade Inc. (via Windwave Communications) remains in progress, and other renewable energy developers have expressed interest in the area. Arthur Smith and board members noted that if additional large projects such as the Imperial Wind project proceed, the county might need future road-use agreements with different or stricter terms because repeated overweight or oversized loads reduce pavement life. Smith said he has repaired visible rutting and other surface issues to date, but the long-term effect of heavy construction traffic on the road’s lifespan is difficult to quantify.
Public comment: resident Steve Veil asked whether the county should require financial assurances from heavy users to protect roads; Smith noted the county issues operations permits for continual activities (such as landfill traffic) and has allowed some operators to provide their own snow removal and sanding under permit.
Action: a commissioner moved and another seconded a motion to approve the virtual termination of the Bake Oven Solar LLC road-use agreement contingent on confirming that the project is complete; the board approved the motion by voice vote.
