Battery storage sites, airport improvements, insurance among topics at Highland County commission meeting

Highland County commissioners Terry Britton, David Daniels and Brad Roades heard updates on several local projects, including proposed battery storage facilities and airport upgrades, and discussed insurance with providers at their Wednesday, April 29 meeting.

Commissioners said they have received official notice of two different applications for battery storage facilities through the Ohio Power Siting Board, as both projects have been discussed at previous meetings.

The first was for an additional 230-megawatt project, Nuthatch Solar, which is expected to be a “final phase” of Highland Solar, a 300 MW project in Clay and Whiteoak townships. According to PUCO documents, Hecate Energy Highland LLC has applied for this as an amendment to their existing case.

“Through this application to amend the Certificate (Amendment Application), the Applicant is proposing to add an up to 300 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) facility (BESS Facility) and expand the existing Project substation by approximately 1 acre, within the approved Project Area,” the application says. “In addition, the Applicant is seeking to expand the Project Area to accommodate collection lines, which will deliver power from the BESS Facility to the Project substation. The western collection line corridor is located entirely within the approved Project Area and travels west and south before connecting to the existing Project substation from the north. The eastern collection line corridor adds approximately 37 acres to the Project and travels south and west before connecting to the existing Project substation from the south. 

“Of note, the proposed BESS Facility would be completely located within Clay Township. In total, the BESS Facility and associated components will be located within up to approximately 89 acres of land that is within and adjacent to the approved boundaries of the Project (the BESS Project Area).”

For more background on the proposal, see the story at https://highlandcountypress.com/proposed-highland-solar-expansion-revie…. To follow updates for their online PUCO docket, the case number is 26-0336-EL-BGA.

Commissioners also received the pre-application notification for the proposed Barr Energy Storage project, although they noted that the letter incorrectly stated the project would be in the Hillsboro city limits. As proposed, the up to 200MW project will encompass approximately 35 acres on Mad River Road in New Market Township, near state Route 138. 

If approved, this would be NextEra Energy Resources’ first battery storage facility in Ohio, as they already own and operate 50 sites across the U.S. and Canada, according to their website.

Commission clerk Ashleigh Willey said that NextEra representatives would be attending commissioners’ May 6 meeting, as well as holding an open house May 6 from 5-7 p.m. at Southern State Community College to further discuss the project.

For more background, see the story at https://highlandcountypress.com/news/nextera-energy-resources-outlines-…. Their PUCO docket case number is 26-0498-EL-BGN.

In other discussion:

• At 9:15 a.m., commissioners held a bid opening for an FAA project, a T-hangar aircraft storage building at the Highland County Airport.

The county received three bids, each of which included various sections. The bids included:
— Full Send Excavation, LLC: section A, $300,422; section A additional, $160,000; section B, no bid; section C, no bid; total: $460,422.
— Jay-Car Construction: section A, $237,105.01; section A additional, $143,522; section B, $354,924; section C, $197,317; total: $932,868.01.
— 2K General Company: section A, $305,621.18; section A additional, $174,286; section B, $347,746; section C, $100,205.60; total: $927,858.78. 

No action was taken on the bids, but elsewhere in the meeting, commissioners approved a grant agreement for an unrelated airport project. The agreement is among commissioners, the Highland County Airport Authority and Ohio Department of Transportation Office of Aviation for an FAA project for drainage and erosion control, with a total project cost of $239,741.

• Highland County Community Action (HCCAO) housing director Jeanette Mottie conducted the second of two public hearings on the Community Housing Impact and Preservation (CHIP) Program.

The county applies for the grant every two years as a partnership among the county, HCCAO and City of Hillsboro. Mottie said the grant has “already been submitted and approved” but that they could still accept public comments at the hearing.

“The grant that was submitted was for 14 units, which was eight unit repairs and six rehabs,” Mottie said. “The total amount requested was $700,000.” 

According to the Ohio Department of Development, “The Community Housing Impact and Preservation (CHIP) Program provides funding to Ohio’s non-entitlement communities to improve and provide affordable housing for low- and moderate-income citizens. CHIP funds are distributed in one competitive funding round per year. Eligible applicants can only submit one application per round.

“Through the CHIP Program, eligible communities can undertake a variety of housing-related activities. Through a flexible, community-wide approach, communities improve and provide affordable housing for low- and moderate-income persons, and strengthen neighborhoods through community collaboration.”

Mottie said that CHIP funds can be used for projects such as “roofs, windows, electric upgrades and ramps” for those with qualifying incomes.

With no public comments presented, Daniels thanked Mottie for the “excellent job you’ve done over the years with the CHIP program.”

• County Risk Sharing Authority (CORSA) Membership Services Manager Ali Redmond, along with Smith-Feike-Minton Insurance president Brian Smith and Pickaway County commissioner and CORSA board member Gary Scherer, met with commissioners to discuss this year’s CORSA renewal.

According to Redmond, after three years of double-digit increases, the poolwide increase is at five percent Highland County’s specific increase is 5.37 percent, Redmond said.

Some of the other figures discussed by Redmond included the county’s total insured value, which is $126 million; their net premium contribution for 2025, which was $249,046; and their credits from their dividend and from the loss control incentive program, which totaled $24,342 combined. Their three-year loss ratio is 211, and their five-year loss ratio is 171, Redmond said, and Smith said the losses were partly “weather related, but also a lot of auto related.”

New this year for CORSA is implementing multifactor authentication requirements for cybersecurity, according to Redmond.

“We all know every county is a little bit different, resources a little bit different, so we felt like, ‘OK, we can't do an all or nothing,’” Redmond said. “We were able to figure out a tiered plan, so depending on what type of multifactor authentication is implemented within the county, that gives you a different coverage limit.”

Redmond added that this “only has to do with ransomware, so it’s only if you get a ransom claim,” and that Highland County is covered at the “tier three” level with a $500,000 threshold. 

“If you feel that there's a point where maybe you want to try to bump up to tier two, we can always sit down and kind of go over how the applications were filled out and the answers and what would need to be done to help you with that, and that can be done immediately,” Redmond said.

Redmond also encouraged the county to apply for CORSA’s $5,500 cybersecurity grants that can cover reimbursements for “anything IT-related.”

• In a separate presentation, Wendy Curran and Kathleen Weisenbach of American Fidelity spoke to commissioners about supplemental benefits their company could provide.

Weisenbach said they could “serve as an extension of human resources” to help the county’s HR department, including providing online enrollment options for insurance. According to Curran, the company has worked with several area counties, including Adams, Fayette and Ross. 

Curran said that they provide “benefits education” to assist county employees with open enrollment. In addition, the company offers various supplemental insurance options, including life, disability and accident insurance, according to Weisenbach, plus reimbursement accounts such as health savings accounts, Curran said.

Commissioners thanked the representatives for the information and took a packet with American Fidelity’s services to review.

• After accepting comments from the public for over a month, commissioners voted to “make no comment” to the Ohio Department of Commerce on class C and D liquor permit renewals.

According to Willey, commissioners received one comment, which was both in objection to a specific business’s liquor license and “a general comment.”

“I move that we take her comments to note, but also suggest that we make no comment,” Daniels said, with the motion passing 3-0.

• Also on Wednesday, a renewal agreement with Ameresco Controls was tabled pending further review, as was a quote for recoating the cannons outside the Highland County Courthouse; commissioners announced the resignation of Erin Dunham, a warden for the county dog pound; and Britton sent a “shoutout” to Main Street Downtown Greenfield for the “really nice job” they are doing at promoting the village of Greenfield.

Commissioners also made the following approvals, each by a 3-0 vote:

• A $20,889.13 change order from Roof Lynx LLC for work at the Because He Lives Food Pantry due to “unforeseen problems,” according to Daniels.

• An estimated total quote of $ $3,980.65 Axon Enterprise, Inc. for an updated Taser and related equipment and training for the Highland County Juvenile Probation Department.

• An intergovernmental jail housing agreement among commissioners, the Highland County Sheriff, the Village of Felicity Mayor and the Felicity Police Department.

• A IV-D contract among Highland County Commissioners, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Highland County CSEA and the Highland County Prosecutor’s Office.

• A renewal of the county’s Superior Dental Care insurance plan, effective Aug. 1. It is “a straight renewal” with no rate increases, according to Britton.

• A resolution to grant authorization for the listed “then and now” purchase orders and authorizing the county auditor to issue warrants for their payment.

For more from Wednesday’s meeting, see the stories at https://highlandcountypress.com/news/marriott-hotel-developers-respond-… and https://highlandcountypress.com/news/commissioners-issue-buddy-poppy-mo….

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