By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — Marshall County will soon have a policy on dealing with the wind — wind energy to be specific.
County Plan Director Ralph Booker came before the Marshall County Commissioners for a public hearing on an ordinance to deal with the technology of wind energy. With energy costs constantly on the rise, alternative sources of power have begun to take center stage. The development of “wind farms” in Benton County in Indiana, have led companies to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Under the Plan Commission’s ordinance, wind farms – structures that are nameplate operations that could generate large amounts of power, even for commercial consumption — and large wind systems would be restricted as to where they could operate. Micro, or small wind systems — those that generally would be placed at or on a commercial residence — would be allowed in all zoning areas.
Site plan requirements and engineering specifications would also be required.
In other business:
The Commissioners also rezoned a parcel of property on North Michigan from agricultural to highway commercial. The parcel that currently houses Servpro has been used for that purpose since the early 1970’s with many types of business and manufacturing concerns housed there.
The rezoning restricts the type of businesses that may locate there, but while protecting the neighborhood will allow the owners of the property to continue to use it for commercial purposes in perpetuity.
County Building Inspector Dennis Elliott told the Commissioner’s “…it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be.”
His office oversees building permits in the county and numbers show that building permits were actually up in the third quarter of this year, compared with last year’s numbers.
The Marshall County Highway will continue to use a new mixture to replace salt on county roads this winter.
Neal Haeck, Marshall County Highway Superintendent told the Commissioners that while he has not had any luck finding a vendor for the county road salt, the mixture used by the county early last year of sand treated with calcium and a substance known as “boost” will be sufficient.
Haeck said the mixture worked well a year ago, and while it doesn’t have quite the melting property of salt, is also less corrosive and therefore better for the environment and better on both vehicles and roads.