BELLEFONTE — The Centre County Board of Commissioners discussed a significant development project for Sandy Ridge Wind Farm at the Oct. 10 meeting.
The proposal centers on the approval of a memorandum of understanding for the “Final Land Development Plan-Sandy Ridge II Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Building Expansion.”
The expansion plan entails the construction of a 6,120-square-foot extension to the existing operations and maintenance building at the Sandy Ridge Wind Farm, located along the eastern boundary of Big Fill Run and the northern boundary of Garner Lane, approximately 1.5 miles west of its intersection with the Tyrone Pike in Taylor Township.
The proposal presented by Chris Schnure, subdivision and land development planner, represents a two-party agreement between the developer and Centre County. It outlines the developer’s commitment to reimburse the county for engineering costs associated with processing, reviewing, inspecting and approving the engineering details for the expansion project.
Schnure clarified that this expansion is part of phase two of the Sandy Ridge Wind Farm project, which was conditionally approved and presented to the County Planning Commission in September 2021. Phase two included four proposed wind turbines in addition to the nine existing ones.
Schnure noted that there is a need for expansion.
“When they came in with phase two, they really needed an additional expansion to support the additional turbines, not just those within Centre County, but also the additional units that are being developed in Synder Township in Blair County,” Schnure said.
Commissioner Chair Mark Higgins said, “I believe this is actually close to the highest point in Centre County as well.”
Schnure agreed, suggesting that the location’s elevation makes it an ideal spot for wind turbines.
Schnure explained that some of the existing towers had been replaced with taller ones, enabling increased energy production. He said the replacements were made within the same footprint and dimensions but featured higher structures, a change that received Federal Aviation Administration approval.
The Centre County Board of Commissioners unanimously agreed to add the memorandum of understanding to next week’s consent agenda.
This marks a step forward in the expansion plans for the Sandy Ridge Wind Farm, which continues to contribute to renewable energy generation in the region.
According to Schnure, the expansion project will be further examined and evaluated during the upcoming County Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Oct. 17.
Schnure said the proposal presented to the BOC is “simply a component of the plan to make sure that the developer pays the county engineers’ cost to review the plan.”
