Whirlpool partner seeks underground easement beneath Clyde bike trail for power link; council hears questions on cameras, costs and protections

Representatives for 1 Power and Whirlpool asked the Clyde City Council during a May 27 special session to grant a nonexclusive underground easement along the city—ike trail to carry power and fiber back to the Whirlpool plant.

The request would allow 1 Power to install conduit and 35,000-volt underground cable roughly 4 miles along the existing trail, place vaults/junction boxes above ground and run fiber for monitoring and safety features. The company offered a $150,000 upfront payment, $15,000 a year for 20 years and $50,000 for general trail improvements; it also proposed cameras, emergency pull boxes and optional lighting along the route.

Why it matters: Council members and members of the public raised questions about public-safety monitoring, privacy, liability for trail damage, the city—lectric utility—inancial impacts and whether the turbines would be built without the city easement. Council members emphasized that any decision must reflect Clyde residents' interests and legal limits of municipal authority.

Jeremy Kent, a representative of 1 Power Company, said the company—xpects to route power from turbines east of Clyde through underground conduit to the Whirlpool plant and that the bike trail is the —aster, least obstructive— route the company identified to carry the conduit back to town. Kent said, —or the city, the ask is for an underground easement— and described the above-ground elements as —ew blue boxes— about 4 to 6 feet wide and roughly 2—1/2 by 2—1/2 feet…