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 tall.

Kent said construction would be done by directional boring crews so the trail could remain open; he estimated the main boring activity would last six to eight weeks, with about two weeks of cable pulling and another one to two weeks of cleanup. He said the conduit depth would typically be about 6 feet but would vary to avoid other utilities and that the cable would include fiber for condition monitoring.

Kent described the monitoring technology as able to report local temperature and detect disturbances so crews can locate an incident precisely. He said, —or 15 projects we have, which have been operating with between 2 and 12 years, we've had 1 failure ever of underground cable,— and that the company plans to guarantee restoration of the trail to the city's satisfaction after construction.

Joe Hoppel, identified in the meeting as a Whirlpool representative, told the council the project is important to plant operations because it —ills in— the plant's energy profile and —lushes— in an energy rate lock: —or Whirlpool, it locks in our energy rate for 20 years. So it's a big deal for Clyde operations.—

On finance and utility impacts, Kent said the company and Whirlpool worked with consultants to update a 1988 interconnection agreement and to draft tariff language intended to avoid —ee shifting— to other city ratepayers. He said Whirlpool would continue to pay its share of certain plant debt regardless of how the new generation changes its consumption and that reductions would be passed through only as reductions the municipal utility itself experienced.

Council members pressed for specifics and protections. Councilman Shea asked for a plain-language explanation of a —ull nonexclusive underground easement—; Kent said most municipal easements are nonexclusive and that the city can include detailed terms to limit other uses. Council members asked whether the easement could be tied to continued plant use or company existence; Kent said the city could add contract language linking easement rights or removal obligations to the plant's ongoing use of the assets.

Privacy and public-records questions emerged about the camera offer. City Manager Justin Leben and other participants discussed legal and operational issues: that there is generally no expectation of privacy on a public bike trail, but that camera use raises privacy concerns and public-records obligations. Kent said the proposal included giving the city VPN or direct access to live feeds so the city could integrate or store footage to meet its records obligations if it chose.

A resident who identified himself as Eric Rich spoke in opposition to placing power infrastructure under the trail, calling the bike path —or nature— and saying taxpayers funded the trail. Other attendees asked about title history of the trail and whether federal grants restrict easement activity; 1 Power said the company reviewed grant restrictions and the city said it had found no prohibitions in the grants the city reviewed.

Technical and scope details raised in the session (as described by company speakers and city staff): the conduit would be routed roughly four miles, typically buried 4 to 10 feet deep, house 35,000-volt cable and include a fiber interduct for condition monitoring; boxes would be spaced for approximately 1,000-foot monitoring intervals; the company estimated about 25—30 acres would be needed for a roughly 6-megawatt solar area (where applicable); turbines carry a 20-year manufacturer warranty and finance structure that typically contemplates 10 years beyond the warranty for bank comfort.

No formal easement vote or ordinance was taken at the May 27 special session. The meeting concluded with a procedural motion to adjourn that passed by roll call.

What comes next: City staff and counsel, along with 1 Power and Whirlpool, will return with more detailed contract language and engineering drawings if the council directs further consideration. Council members said they will continue to ask questions about easement terms, liability, maintenance responsibilities, camera access, and tariff language intended to prevent cost-shifting.

A note on scope and authority: speakers repeatedly noted the council ecides for Clyde residents and that the turbines and associated generation in York Township could be constructed by other routes even if the city withholds an easement; Kent said the bike-trail route was preferred but one of three possible paths to connect the project to its buyer.