Valley County approves final reimbursement, federal report to close woody-biomass pilot grant

Valley County commissioners approved a final request for reimbursement and the accompanying federal financial report on July 23 to close out a Forest Service woody-biomass grant, county grant writer Ken Schlegel said.

The action covers the remaining $46,000 on a cost-share pilot to grind woody debris at the county transfer facility and explore using the material as an alternative fuel instead of disposing of it in a landfill or burning it, Schlegel said. The grant is a 50-50 cost-share with the Forest Service and the paperwork will allow the county to close the grant before its August expiration, he said.

“This is the last reimbursement request for the forest service, biomass grant. It’s for the remaining $46,000 in the grant, and it will also be our final financial reports and progress report on that grant so we can… close it out with this,” Ken Schlegel, Valley County grant writer, said during the meeting.

Commissioners and staff discussed the pilot’s approach. The project used outside contractors to grind woody debris at the transfer facility because purchasing the industrial grinders would have been prohibitively expensive, one commissioner said: “Those grinders are like a million dollars. Huge.” According to staff, the county had examined buying equipment and hiring employees but instead contracted the work for the pilot.

A commissioner moved to sign the request for reimbursement for the woody-biomass grant; another commissioner seconded the motion. The board approved the motion by voice vote — “all in favor, aye” — completing two items the presenter identified: the reimbursement request and the federal financial reporting required to close the grant.

County staff said the vote and the submitted reports will allow the county to finalize the grant closeout with the Forest Service. No additional funding or equipment purchases were authorized in the meeting.

The item took place during the Valley County Board of Commissioners’ morning session; staff indicated there were no further related agenda items until 10 a.m.