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Gibson County drainage board approves revised solar project plan; reviewers to vet blanket access agreement
Summary
The Gibson County Drainage Board approved an updated drainage plan for the Zelestra solar project and agreed to review a proposed blanket access and maintenance agreement to replace dozens of individual pond easements; a developer representative confirmed an additional supplemental application fee on the record.
At its meeting, the Gibson County Drainage Board approved a revised drainage plan for the Zelestra solar project and directed staff to review a proposed blanket access and maintenance agreement for the site.
Liam Sawyer, a civil engineering consultant for Western Reclamation Solar and Q Cells, asked the board to accept the updated drainage plan and calculations, saying most of the earlier plan remained in place despite an expanded footprint on the project's far eastern side. "We're back up here to request approval of our revised drainage plan and calculations," Sawyer said, adding that the remaining county review comments were coordination items the applicant could accommodate.
Lyall, the county reviewer, told the board he had reviewed the submittal and recommended approval. "The overall intent of the drainage plan meets the county drainage ordinance," Lyall said.
Before members moved to accept the plan, the board recorded a financial commitment: a representative identified as Sylvester confirmed on the record that the developer would pay an additional supplemental application fee proposed by staff. With that assurance, a board member moved to accept the recommendation and another seconded; members signified approval by voice.
Board discussion then turned to how to handle access to roughly 28 detention ponds on the site. Sawyer said the applicant would prefer a single, sitewide access and maintenance agreement rather than recording dozens of exclusive access easements. He said he is modifying an established "BMP maintenance and agreement" form used in other Indiana counties to fit Gibson County and that the draft is under legal review and will be forwarded to county staff for evaluation.
A staff member explained that Gibson County's ordinance typically requires recorded easements for drainage features, but the board indicated it would review any proposed agreement to determine whether an amendment to specifications or an updated county template would be needed. The applicant agreed to provide the paperwork to county staff (notably Scott and Jason) for review.
The board also discussed the project's performance and decommissioning bonds. Staff noted the performance bond is set at 110% of estimated construction costs to ensure work is completed to specifications. The board recorded that a decommissioning fund had been posted at the August approval and said the decommissioning bond and plan should be revisited if additional assets—such as a substation—were added to the project.
The board took the motion to approve the developer's request (including permitting/bond arrangements) and members indicated assent by voice. Next steps: the applicant will send the proposed blanket access/maintenance agreement to county staff for legal and technical review; the board will consider any recommended changes to county specifications or paperwork in a future meeting.
