Tuesday, December 24, 2019 The Commercial Review Portland, Indiana 47371 www.thecr.com $1 New rules OK’d, moratorium over By ROSE SKELLY the commissioners, also with several set-backs in the access driveways’ setback from that right Monday with a unani - The Commercial Review announced that 2020 will be his proposed ordinance, which property lines to 50 feet from 300 mous vote to adopt the updated With a new ordinance in last year in office, as he will not includes regulations for both feet. ordinance with the reduced set - place, the moratorium on con - be running for reelection. wind and solar farms. They sug - Plan commission members backs in place for both wind and struction of wind farms in Jay There has been a moratorium gested scaling back the wind disagreed with the amendments solar farms. County has officially been lifted. on wind farm construction turbine setback of 1,640 feet to to the wind farm setbacks with a Commissioner Chad Aker Jay County Commissioners since summer 2018, with local 1,500 feet from residential 3-2 vote on Dec. 12. They did not noted that the ordinance con - voted Monday to approve the officials taking the time and the dwellings of non-participating take issue with the solar farm tained compromises from both updated wind farm ordinance, public’s input to update its ordi - landowners. They also recom - changes. sides of the wind farm debate. overruling disagreement from nance. A final version was sub - mended reducing setbacks for According to state statute, the “It’s been a give and take, so Jay County Plan Commission mitted by plan commission to solar farms, including changing commissioners have the final there’s things in here that both about setbacks. commissioners earlier this year. the setback from county roads say as long as they voted again sides wanted,” Aker said. “So it Chuck Huffman, president of Commissioners took issue to 50 feet from 150 feet and within 45 days. They exercised See Moratorium page 2 Crash claims 4 lives DECATUR — Four peo - ple were killed Sunday morning in a traffic acci - dent in rural Adams Coun - ty near the Indiana-Ohio state line. Officials identified those killed in the two- vehicle crash as Alan Dan - nenfelser, 72, Fort Wayne, Jane Dannenfelser, 65, Fort Wayne, Duane Clifton, 93, Wilshire, Ohio, and Scheryl Clifton, 76, Wilshire, Ohio. Adams County Coroner Leslie Cook said all the victims died of blunt force trauma. Police said Jane Dan - nenfelser was northbound on Adams County road 650 East in a 2017 Toyota Camry shortly before 10:30 a.m. Sunday. She stopped the car at its intersection with Indi - ana 124 — the route between Decatur and Wilshire — and had appar - The Commercial Review/Jack Ronald ently signaled to turn east but abruptly stopped and steered north into the westbound lane. The Toyota then collid - Candlelight ed with a 2004 Chevrolet pick-up truck. at Christmas "The collision caused a Members of New Mt. back seat passenger to be ejected from the vehicle," Pleasant United Methodist Church the Adams County Sher - held a candlelight Christmas iff’s Department said. service Sunday. At left, Dick Nixon, "The driver of the Camry Dixie Franklin and Greg Franklin and the three passengers hold their candles high. were all pronounced Services tonight begin at deceased at the scene. It 6:30 p.m. at Zion Evangelical appeared no one in either Lutheran Church in Portland, vehicle were properly restrained by seat belts." followed by First Presbyterain The collision ejected a Church at 7 p.m., West Walnut backseat passenger in the Street Church of Christ at 8 p.m. Camry from the vehicle. and Trinity United Methodist Church All four passengers in the at 9 p.m. Camry were pronounced dead at the scene. Survey Bitter Ridge secures its financing input Scout Clean Energy on in the US, UK and Aus - two hundred jobs during wind turbines. Scout has lency Calculator, Bitter sought Monday announced the tralia. construction and as many signed firm purchase Ridge is predicted to offset closing of $210 million in "Bitter Ridge is Scout's as five permanent jobs orders for the supply of over two-hundred ninety- By RILEY EUBANKS construction financing second project to close once operational. Bitter the wind turbines with two thousand (292,000) The Commercial Review and tax equity commit - construction financing Ridge brings Scout's oper - General Electric and has metric tons of carbon The opportunity to give ments for the 130 MW Bit - this year and follows the ational and in construc - entered into a balance of dioxide emissions annual - an opinion in how Jay ter Ridge Wind Farm recent successful closing tion wind portfolio to over plant construction servic - ly and over 10 million met - County’s representatives in Jay County. of our Heart of Texas pro - 900 MW. This is quite an es agreement with ric tons during its operat - should vote in the upcom - Bitter Ridge has been ject and the commence - achievement by the com - Mortenson, the Minneso - ing life. ing legislative session is developed by Scout and ment of operations at bined Quinbrook and ta-based firm that has Scout estimates that Jay dwindling. will be owned and operat - Ranchero. We anticipate Scout teams considering done the work so far. County will receive more Jay County residents ed long-term by Scout's that Bitter Ridge will be that we kicked off the pro - Scout announced earli - than $18 million in tax rev - have a week to take the dedicated asset manage - fully operational by Sep - gram together less than er this year, a 15-year enue from Bitter Ridge legislative survey of Rep. ment team. tember of next three years ago." power purchase agree - over the operating life of J.D. Prescott (R-Union Scout is a portfolio com - year," Michael Rucker, Construction on Bitter ment has been signed with the project, with over half City), which is posted on pany of Quinbrook Infra - chief executive officer and Ridge, on approximately Constellation, an Exelon going directly to support - his website structure Partners, a spe - founder of Scout, said in a 10,000 acres in southwest - company for the long-term ing Jay Schools. Jay Coun - https://www.indiana - cialist investment manag - prepared statement. ern Jay County, is well purchase of about 80% of ty will also receive $1.56 houserepublicans.com/m er focused exclusively on "Bitter Ridge is also the advanced. All turbine the renewable energy and million in economic devel - embers/general/john- lower carbon and renew - second greenfield project foundations are complete. capacity generated by Bit - opment payments made by prescott/. able energy infrastructure that the Scout team has The wind farm will ter Ridge. Bitter Ridge for the bene - The survey features investment and opera - developed from inception involve 52of the latest gen - According to the EPA's fit of several local commu - questions on many of the tional asset management and it will support up to eration GE 2-MW platform Greenhouse Gas Equiva - nity initiatives. See Survey page 2 Deaths Weather In review Coming up West Jay Optimists will be manning the recycling trailer Friday, Dec. 27 — Randy Skies will be mostly cloudy in Dunkirk on Saturday from 9 Geesaman takes a look back at this morning, then become a.m. to noon. his two terms as mayor of Rogers L. Durham Jr. , 56, partly cloudy in the afternoon. Jay County Shooting Sports Portland. Portland Look for a high of about 49 will take on the same duty at Tuesday, Dec. 31 — What Details on page 2. and a low after dark on Christ - the Portland recycling trailer were the top local news stories mas Eve of 35. from 9 a.m. to noon on Satur - of 2019? The CR’s staff takes a day. look. The Commercial Review Page 2 Local Tuesday, December 24, 2019 Capsule Reports Hits building, van 1:30 p.m. Sunday, causing through the intersection “at an unsafe speed,” traveling. He has not been Nobody was in the 2006 A Portland man lost an estimated $25,000 to of Tallman Street and according to a report by charged with anything at Chevy Uplander that was control of his vehicle and $30,000 in damages. Jack Street and into the the Portland Police this time. hit during the crash while ran into Jay-Randolph Caleb M. Capetillo, 26, building. Department. The impact with the parked in front of the Development Services 433 E. Votaw St., said the The investigating offi - Capetillo said he was building caused Capetil - building. The vehicle is building and a van that brakes on his 1998 Dodge cers confirmed that the traveling faster than the 10 lo’s front headlight to land registered to Jay-Ran - was parked in its lot at 901 Ram pickup truck failed, truck’s brakes did fail but mph speed limit but could 28 feet away from his vehi - dolph Developmental E. Water St., Portland, at causing him to drive that Capetillo was driving not guess how fast he was cle. Services. Survey ... Continued from page 1 requirements for able Medicaid https://www.indianasenatere - Holdman’s survey includes Those who take the surveys top issues expected to be voted recipients and drug testing publicans.com/holdman until questions on the legalization of are required to be of voting age on in the upcoming legislative requirements for welfare recipi - mid-January, he said. medicinal marijuana, increas - and reside in representative Dis - session. ents under the Temporary “It helps me decide on how I’ll ing the legal smoking age to 21 trict 33 and/or senate District “It’s important to me to get as Assistance for Needy Families vote,” said Holdman, who added and whether the state should be 19, both of which includes all of much feedback as possible,” program.