Zoning Board of Appeals recording 9-28-26_session 3

Peoria County Zoning Board of Appeals hearing, identified in the title as September 28, 2026, with meeting metadata dated October 6, 2026. The board continued testimony on the proposed Four Creeks wind project. Cross-examination focused on the applicant’s decommissioning cost estimate: the witness said no project-specific contractor bids were obtained and the estimate relied on a proprietary model, RSMeans data, internal construction information, and other sources. The discussion questioned missing tonnage and calculation details, gravel removal and reuse assumptions, hauling distances and truck capacities, landfill disposal rates, concrete and collection-system removal, and costs for other facilities. As one illustrative calculation, a participant estimated that disposing of roughly 172,000 tons of gravel at $67 per ton would cost about $11.524 million; the witness said the gravel was expected to be reused rather than landfilled. The applicant’s representative testified that the project was committing to 100% financial assurance at building-permit time and that estimates would typically be recalculated about every five years, with a new contingency applied. No procurement award, contract approval, or spending vote was identified.

The board also heard testimony and cross-examination from a real-estate appraiser regarding studies of wind farms and nearby property values. The expert described paired-sales and other analyses that generally found no consistent negative impact, while questioning addressed the studies’ comparability to the proposed project, turbine height, control-area selection, and the use of an outdated county ordinance in the site-specific report. The hearing continued with public questioning. No procurement activity was identified beyond discussion of project decommissioning cost estimates and financial assurance.