Tuesday, April 24th, 2007

Power station in planning

By Timothy Cox
American Municipal Power of Ohio (AMP-Ohio) communities, including Celina, still are working toward building a huge new baseload power station in Meigs County.
Safety-Service Director Jeff Hazel said AMP Ohio President Mark Gerken soon will be visiting to discuss the next phase of the project. The city has already spent $90,000 for its share of a feasibility study.
The final cost of the power plant is expected to be $1 billion or more to be split among member communities based on how much power they draw from the station. Celina tentatively plans to draw 19 megawatts of power from the new plant, about half of the city's current daily average.
The plant is not expected to be online until 2013, Hazel said.
"This is for the long-term," Hazel said. "It's really important that we're looking into long-term power sources."
Electric prices fluctuate wildly due to energy prices, Hazel said. Most electric generation depends on the burning of coal or natural gas and prices for those commodities are prone to sharp increases, he said.
Councilman Rick Bachelor asked about the status of a proposed AMP-Ohio series of hydroelectric generators on the Ohio River.
The Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) has approved licenses for two of the five facilities, Hazel said. Celina will end up drawing between one megawatt and seven megawatts of power from the hydro stations, Hazel said, depending on how many communities participate in the joint project.
Hydroelectric plants are somewhat erratic because they rarely run at full capacity, Hazel said. They also cannot operate when the river is too high or too low, he said.
Additional online stories on this date
COLDWATER - Another pitching gem for Coldwater's Brooke Gross was backed by the Cavaliers offense scoring four unearned runs as the Orange and Black downed St. Henry 4-0 on Monday afternoon in Midwest Athletic Conference action. [More]
VERSAILLES -The New Bremen Cardinals stayed alive in the Midwest Athletic Conference softball race Monday night as they went on the road and came home with a huge 10-0 win over the Versailles Tigers. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
Celina city officials are preparing to open discussions on the creation of a storm water utility that would cost residents a few extra bucks each month on their utility bills.
COLDWATER - Village officials approved a resolution Monday evening that gives Village Manager/Engineer Eric Thomas the green light to apply for Ohio Department of Transportation funding to enhance West Main Street.
A St. Marys man who is confined to a wheelchair has pleaded guilty to two felony charges that accuse him of having sex with two young children.
Mic
A Celina man was indicted by an Auglaize County grand jury for illegally entering private property and removing a tree or trees.
Thomas J. Schmitme
MINSTER - A pair of the Grand Lake area's hottest baseball teams battled it out on Monday, as the Celina Bulldogs and home-standing Minster Wildcats squared off in an exciting non-league tilt.
COLDWATER - This week is shaping up to be one of the biggest weeks of the season for the Coldwater baseball team.
The Cavs started a string of four games in four days - and six games over six days - with the Division III tournament draw looming on Sunday.
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Jay Woeste's double scored Jon Clune in the top of the eighth inning as St. Henry improved to 11-2 on the season with a 6-3 win over New Bremen in a makeup Midwest Athletic Conference game at New Bremen on Monday.