F&S met with representatives from the Center for Neighborhood Sustainability to continue discussion of potentially building a biogasification power plant off campus for production of biogas as an alternative fuel for power generation for campus.
IDNR staff will review the project because the Franklin's Ground Squirrel may reside there. They state they will require thirty days of review. The Franklin’s Ground Squirrel resides in culverts and areas with low shrubs and prairie grasses and not in cultivated farm areas. Most of the Solar Farm area has been farmed for years.
From: Jack Dempsey Subject: Solar Farm letter ready to go In the interest of keeping an open dialogue with our neighbors, I would like to inform you that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is pursuing the development of a 28.5-acre solar farm on the campus’s South Farms. The attached fact sheet describes the details of the project, including specifics of the proposal, expected timeline, and frequently asked questions about solar farms. This information will be sent to the residents on First Street near the proposed site, with the attached letter. I’m also including the full RFP here in case you are interested. This is expected to go live tomorrow. If you have any questions or suggestions as we move forward with this project, please contact Morgan Johnston, our Sustainability Coordinator copied here. Thanks, Jack RFP and subsequent amendments are online at http://www.procure.stateuniv.state.il.us/dsp_notice.cfm?Uni=UIUC&PN=1KSP....
Battery Recycling program containers were ordered in late February. The official launch of this program will be mid-spring.
Staff answered questions from DCEO about the FSCRAP grant, in cooperation with University Grants and Contracts. Additionally, staff provided detailed responses to inquiries from students about the status of the project.
Staff met with representatives from the Red Bison registered student organization about the prairie at the corner of Florida Avenue and Orchard Street. Red Bison has taken on responsibility for that prairie, and is looking into naming options, signage, and enhanced plantings.
Two electric vehicle charging stations were installed for Fleet vehicles at the Garage and Car Pool facility. This was done in conjunction with the purchase of two Chevy Volts for the campus fleet. At this time, the charging stations are not accessible to the public.
The proposed Solar Farm was taken through the formal Site Selection process for campus, and approved by the Chancellor’s Capital Review Committee (CCRC). Then the Request for Proposal (RFP) was published and over 30 vendors downloaded the RFP. A Fact Sheet and Q&A were sent with introductory letters to the community leaders and Solar Farm site neighbors on First Street.
Krannert Center for Performing Arts worked with F&S Planning to initiate a solar energy project for their building. Funding will be requested from the Student Sustainability Committee this spring, and a DCEO grant will be requested after the initial conceptualization phase is complete.
The SSC Weatherization student leader met with the Building Maintenance team at F&S to review the student team reports for the small houses they assessed last fall. Building Maintenance will develop cost estimates for the identified needs, so the students can prioritize the available funding ($50,000 from F&S).
Because the Solar Farm is being managed by Purchasing, through the RFP process and contracts, there is not a Planner assigned to the entire Solar Farm project. However, the portion of the project that does relate to campus infrastructure is the connection to the Campus Electrical Grid. That will be under the responsibility of Jim Sims as the Planner.
The Illini Union submitted proposed projects to the committee for review and approval, see file.
ACES will transfer assignment of 27.8 acres at Kruse Farm to Facilities & Services to provide property for the solar farm installation. ln exchange, Facilities & Services will provide ACES Crop Sciences with $84,250 to re-establish new organic acres as replacement for their research
plots.
Location of land identified for this purpose is near the southwest corner of Windsor Road and First Street, bounded by the railroad tracks to the west and First Street to the east. A total oÍ 27 .B acres has been identified, including the homestead area, as illustrated on the attached map. lf additional acreage is needed, up to a total of 30 acres, land directly east of the homestead area may be made available.
NRES is in the process of developing this farmland to meet organic designation/standards and relocation of this activity will be required in order to accommodate making the land available to F&S. The Department of Crop Sciences has agreed to provide similar acreage to NRES for this purpose. The location of the replacement land will be in the southern portion of the Cruse Farm and is reflected in the 27 acres identified as C1000W 14 acres and C100E 13 acres in the attached map.
To facilitate relocation and to compensate the Department of Crop Sciences, F&S agrees to provide $550/acre for each of 5 years, plus $10,000. Funds would be provided beginning FY12 as outlined below. After the 5-year period, any compensation required by the Department of Crop Sciences will become the responsibility of the Department of NRES.
Here are the recommended fix lists from each of the groups.
Thomas,
My name is Mark Barcus and I am Dean Henson’s new assistant and he has asked me to work on the SSC weatherization project. I would like to set up a meeting with you and Morgan Johnston and myself to see where we are at. When would be a good time to meet?
Thanks
Mark
Mark A. Barcus
Assistant Superintendent
Building Maintenance
University of Illinois
Facilities & Services
(217)-265-6566
A fact sheet and frequently asked questions document were developed by F&S for neighbors of the proposed solar farm on South Farms. In February, the documents will be accompanied by a cover letter and sent to the mayors/leadership of surrounding jurisdictions, as well as residents in the immediate vicinity of the proposed location, to inform them of the proposed development. Once the Request for Proposal (RFP) is complete and the Chancellor’s Capital Review Committee approves the project, the RFP will be published. The installation is tentatively scheduled for this fall.
The firm that was hired last fall to complete the Compost Feasibility Study, Foth, submitted a draft of their study to the University in early January for comments. Immediately following, F&S applied for $250,000 from the F-SCRAP Grant from DCEO, for equipment and site improvements for the Large-Scale Food Waste Composting Facility. In order to apply for the grant, the University was required to commit to funding the remaining portion of the facility’s proposed budget, and an emergency phone meeting was called by the Student Sustainability Committee to assign funding toward this. The committee voted in favor and granted $250,000 toward the project. A draft plan for the compost facility was also developed and distributed to key stakeholders in mid-January for feedback.
The battery recycling program is being expanded to four locations across campus, for both rechargeable batteries and single-use alkaline batteries. Facilities & Services confirmed participation, developed a fact sheet and instructional kit for participating locations, and has committed to funding the program up to $10,000 each fiscal year. The containers for the program will be ordered in February.
The Florida and Orchard Prairie has new leadership through the student group Red Bison and their advisor, John Marlin. Red Bison will be meeting with F&S to set next steps for the site, including going through the process of naming the site and implementing the concept design.
The battery recycling program is being expanded to four locations across campus, for both rechargeable batteries and single-use alkaline batteries. Facilities & Services confirmed participation, developed a fact sheet and instructional kit for participating locations, and has committed to funding the program up to $10,000 each fiscal year. The containers for the program will be ordered in February.
