Legalectric

It was PACKED, nearly full parking lot and room was crowded. Surprising in a rural area and a town of “2,847.”

Worth the trip down to Caledonia, Albert Collins on my tape loop the whole way (though also my father-in-law’s dance band version, that’s where I learned it). Worth it because now the notion of “MariBell” v. “Gopher to Badger” is now clear, and the 765kV line too.

“MariBell” is “only” the double circuited 765kV and 161kV (NOT 2 765kVs), the part that starts when the two lines are joined at Marion, MN, and down across the Mississippi into Wisconsin. The “Gopher to Badger” starts at the North Rochester substation down to Marion — does it then also cover the MariBell? Not clear.

The noteworthy point — Dairyland wants to use that existing 161kV line, and I guess this open house was mostly for those landowners. The RoW will need to be expanded to 250 feet, and they’re trying, wanting, to work with those landowners to get it done.

Supposedly they’re still trying to figure out how to get out of that North Rochester substation down to Marion — it’s getting crowded with that Pine Island data center 345kV line that’s proposed. Here’s that proposal – the yellow blob is the proposed substation expansion and the yellow line is the proposed 345kV line down into the cornfield. The green is the existing CapX line down to La Crosse and beyond.

Back to MariBell: Here are the handouts. Cookies were had, but NO COFFEE! Also, no announcement on the Public Utilities Commission’s eDockets, and no promises — I’ll do my best to make sure there’s an eDocket post when future open houses come up.

And how’s this for a non-answer?

I’d edit this to: “YES! Ratepayers will pay for this project, apportion amongst MISO ratepayers apportioned by the arcane MISO “Schedule 25.” Maybe it’s no longer Schedule 25, guess I’d better check.

In the Fillmore County Journal:

Houston County Commissioners Hear Initial Presentation on MariBell 765/161 kV Transmission Project

At the November 18 regular meeting of the Houston County Board of Commissioners, representatives of the MariBell 765/161 kV Transmission Project appeared before the commissioners for the first time to share information about the project with the board. The project is a partnership between Dairyland Power Cooperative and GridLiance.

Chairman Eric Johnson called the meeting to order at 9 a.m. Commissioners Cindy Wright, Robert Schuldt, and Greg Myhre were also present. Commissioner Kurt Zehnder was absent.

The agenda was unanimously approved.

The minutes from the November 4 meeting, and the minutes from the November 12 workgroup session were also approved.

Dairyland Power Cooperative Manager, Regional Transmission Projects, Clay DeWitt; GridLiance Heartland Sr. Director Development Jessica Hewitt; and Gridliance Heartland Project Director Josh Daubenspeck appeared before the commissioners to present an introduction of the project and answer questions.

DeWitt explained, “Today we’re going to talk about who the partners are, and we’ll have a full overview of the project, starting with the need, going through the actual project itself, the high level overview, the schedule, the benefits of the projects, routing considerations, and then right away easement process from a high level standpoint.”

Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) “is the one who oversees and operates the grid in this particular area of the central United States,” explained Hewitt. “They are the ones that determine the project needs, and they, also, are responsible for this overall system planning.”

Commissioner Johnson said, “MISO is who we need to talk with.”

During and after the presentation, the representatives answered a range of questions from the commissioners and members of the public.  The audience emphasized that communication with property owners must be improved in the future.

The representatives announced that they would be holding an open house in Caledonia on Tuesday afternoon from 4-6 p.m. at the community center. There will not be a formal presentation; instead, it is an opportunity to ask questions. More open houses will be held throughout the multi-year process. Postcards were sent to all property owners who will be affected, informing them of the open houses.

At 9:30 a.m. the commissioners closed the regular meeting and opened the public hearing to gather input regarding granting a six-year property tax abatement to assist in the construction of a cold storage facility at Sno-Pac Foods. The property is identified a Parcel No. 211163000. The commissioners closed the public hearing at 9:34 a.m. and reopened the regular meeting. 

The board then unanimously approved the property tax abatement for Sno-Pac Foods, Inc. The anticipated completion date is July 2026.

The consent agenda was approved. Kelly Zielinski was hired as a Public Health and Human Services collections officer, and James Lyden was hired as a 67-day temporary/casual drop site supervisor.

In other business, the board: 

• Adopted Resolution No. 25-39 and No. 25-40 in support of city of Houston and Caledonia’s Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) applications. 
• Accepted the recommendation from Commissioners Wright and Johnson and Parker to adopt the Houston County Policies and Procedures Manual.
• Approved a three-year contract with UKG and the Minnesota Counties Computer (MCCC) Cooperative for Human Resources, payroll, and workforce management software. One-time cost to launch the software is $17,655 and the yearly subscription fee is $43,065. The subscription fee for the current software program is $9,000.
• Discussed the county’s reorganizational structure and authorized Human Resources Officer Brent Parker to write and initiate a Request for Proposal (RFP) for external/economic development services for 2026. 
• Approved the 2026 board meeting schedule as presented by Board Clerk/EDA Director Allison Wagner.
• Approved paying the bills totaling $683,018.84.