Monday, August 27, 2007

Jeffrey Place project gets grant for solar panels

By Mike Pramik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



The developer of Jeffrey Place has secured a state grant to install rooftop solar panels on the next cluster of condominiums at the project.

The Ohio Department of Development granted Joe Recchie of National Community Builders $438,372 to install the panels at the North Block condos, a 75-unit section of the 41.5-acre Jeffrey Place development. National Community is attempting to turn the former Jeffrey Mining and Manufacturing site into an urban neighborhood.

The North Block condos will be at the northwestern corner of the development. The buildings were designed by Columbus architect George Acock.

Recchie said he will be seeking the highest designation of LEED certification for the project. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design designation is awarded to development projects by the U.S. Green Building Council. It identifies those projects that have embraced environmentally friendly principles.

LEED certification has become a badge of honor and a marketing tool for some cities and developers.

"A lot of these ideas are things we were already doing," Recchie said. "It had more a sense of convergence. We worked hard to develop best practices for Jeffrey Place."

The panels will cost more than $1 million, Recchie said, and will provide electricity for all of the condos. He said the panels will generate 121 kilowatts, which will flow into American Electric Power’s power grid and could allow some North Block residents to sell power back to the utility.

AEP customers have a hand in paying for the panels. The money for the Development Department’s Advanced Energy Program has roots in electricity deregulation.

In 1999, the Development Department asked regulators to create a revolving loan fund to encourage renewable energy activities. Customers of AEP, Dayton Power & Light Co., Duke Energy Corp. and FirstEnergy Corp. were assessed a 9-cent monthly fee to create the fund.

The fund currently contains $23.2 million.

In 2003, the General Assembly allowed the department to begin using 10 percent of the previous year’s receipts for grants, said Sherry Hubbard, acting office chief for the Development Department’s energy office. The grant for the North Block condos at Jeffrey Place is one of the largest ever issued.

"The grant program has been evolving over time," Hubbard said. "It began by grants to single homeowners. In 2005, we decided that there was a big part of the market that would help move solar forward. That was new construction."

All but nine of the North Block condos will be prefabricated by UniBilt Homes. In addition to the solar panels, they’ll feature geothermal heating and cooling, tankless water heaters, irrigation through storm-water runoff, vegetation on carport roofs and recycled concrete, 90,000 tons of it, taken from the site.

The project will include town house and loft-style condos. The two-bedroom town houses are 1,380 square feet and will start at $248,000. The 730-square-foot lofts will begin at $156,000.

Recchie said the grant money, which amounts to $6,642 per prefab unit, will be passed along to the buyers. The cost per square foot of the town houses, $178, is far lower than the average Downtown condo cost of $237 per square foot.

IT firm moves, secures loan

A company that creates logistics software for midsize companies has moved to Lewis Center and plans to use a state loan to expand.

Pacejet Logistics makes Web-based logistics software that helps manufacturers manage their shipping operations without paying license fees. The company recently moved from Dublin to Lewis Center and plans to use an $805,000 Innovation Ohio Fund loan to expand its employment base.

Ron Lee, Pacejet’s vice president of business development, said the company wants to double in size during the next few years.

Pacejet traces its roots to the heyday of the dot-com boom of the 1990s. It’s a spinoff of the former Frontstep, which provided enterprise resource planning software. Frontstep used to be called Symix Solutions, the public company that ran into financial difficulty in 2000.

Two years after changing its name, Frontstep was acquired by a company in Georgia called Mapics Inc., which later was acquired by Infor Global Solutions.

"We’re going to hire new developers and support people and services people," Lee said. "It’s about servicing customers and building out the software application."

Mike Pramik covers development for The Dispatch. Contact him at mpramik@dispatch.com or by fax at 614-461-5107.

COMMUNITY BUILDING PARTNERS
Landfill pitched as fuel source
Battelle unit thinks trash could power jets
Monday, August 27, 2007 3:23 AM
By Barbara Carmen

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
To those who oversee the Franklin County landfill, the latest proposal sounded like a flight of fancy: Turn garbage into jet fuel.

But a Battelle engineer said the components of the technology already work. All scientists need is a big-enough test site -- say 10 acres at the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio's landfill -- and a supply of trash. They then will stitch together cutting-edge technology to make diesel and jet fuel.

If they get a $30 million federal government grant.

Two weeks ago, SWACO's board of trustees sent a letter of support to the U.S. Department of Energy. If the team wins the grant, trustees will more closely study the deal before signing on as a partner.

"It has to work for us. That will be determined downstream," said Mike Long, SWACO's executive director.

But Long sees the possibilities if the jet-fuel plant gets built and works: a reliable, environmentally friendly way of keeping the landfill from filling up fast and a supply of plentiful, less-expensive fuel to strengthen central Ohio's position as a transportation hub.

Leading the project is Velocys, a for-profit subsidiary of Battelle in Plain City. While at Battelle, Velocys CEO Wayne Simmons led the development of much of the technology that would make it efficient to turn garbage into fuel.

Also signing on is Taylor Biomass Energy, which has developed methods to better sort recyclables from raw garbage and produce the gases needed to make the fuel.

Long's board was cautious about committing SWACO to a first-of-its-kind demonstration plant.

"The landscape is littered with projects that have failed," Board Vice Chairman Bradley N. Frick said.

Velocys, however, has twice received Ohio Third Frontier awards for developing technology that shows promise.

Trustees questioned Long about his plan to lease Velocys 10 acres for 30 years for $10 per year. The land is worth $200,000, and the deal would mean a total of $300 in rent payments.

"The project, if it reduces the waste stream, would be one of the most cost-effective SWACO has done," in helping divert trash from the landfill, Long said.

The team should know by the end of the year whether it got the grant.

"I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater," Trustee Colleen H. Briscoe said before the vote. "This could be a really exciting project."

A business strategist on the team that put together the bid told trustees it's a good deal for SWACO.

"If the technology does what it's supposed to do ... we would double or triple the life of your landfill," said Steve Cohen, managing director of Centennial Associates and a retired Battelle vice president of technology commercialization.

"Could you mine the existing trash?" asked Jacqueline E. LaMuth, president of the board of trustees.

Yes, but first the demonstration plant must show that it works.

The plant would separate recyclables from trash, which then would be ground up and converted into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This already works. The chemicals would be turned into fuel using Velocys' technology.

"This whole field is like exploring the ocean floor," LaMuth said. "It's hard to get at, not much is known about it, and it's extremely important."

bcarmen@dispatch.com

Friday, August 24, 2007

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES SAY WIND POWER WOULD BENEFIT OHIO ECONOMY


Lawmakers could spur job creation and generate revenue for rural areas by requiring utilities to produce 20% of Ohio's electricity from wind power, environmental, labor, and business groups said Thursday.


Such a renewable energy portfolio standard would increase Ohio's gross state product by an estimated $8.2 billion and create about 3,100 full time jobs by 2020, Environment Ohio's Amy Gomberg said during a teleconference to promote the group's latest report on wind power.


"Twenty-five other states across the country have passed requirements for renewable energy that has put them in a position to capitalize on this emerging, job intensive industry, while right now Ohio is sitting on the sidelines," she said.


With coal-fired power plants generating about 87% of the state's electricity, Ohio "is in an increasingly vulnerable position," she said, pointing to potential federal limits on carbon emissions.


Ohio Coal Association President Mike Carey objects to a renewable energy standard and says an advanced energy standard that includes clean coal technology is "worth debating."


He instead touted green energy options that utilities have recently made available to consumers to allow them to voluntarily purchase electricity generated from renewable resources. "If a consumer wants to pay more, then let them pay more."


Mr. Carey questions the economic benefit of a renewable energy portfolio, saying any mandate on utilities would result in increased prices for consumers.


"And any time electricity rates go up, it costs jobs," he said. "I'm glad to see (wind power) is going to create some 3,000 jobs, because large electricity increases will cost that number and more in jobs that will be lost."


Report co-author, Travis Madsen of the Frontier Group, said the economic model takes into account job loss, which would occur minimally in various sectors of the economy. "We find that renewable energy produces a net job benefit."


Ohio's manufacturing, construction, and banking and finance sectors would benefit the most from implementing a renewable energy portfolio, he said.


Ms. Gomberg said Ohio currently sends about $1 billion a year out of state to import the coal and other fuel necessary to meet the state's electricity needs.


"The Buckeye state is well positioned - second only to California - in our ability to manufacture renewable energy technologies for wind turbines and this could really make us the Silicon Valley of the renewable energy industry," she said.


Dave Champagne, manager of wind energy for the Minster Machine Company, said implementing a renewable portfolio standard would create "a favorable business environment" for manufacturers of green energy components.


"A renewable energy standard would be good for our company because this policy would create demand for wind energy products," he said. "Continuation of Ohio's strong manufacturing base into the future, as well as making a positive impact on the environment, make the right (renewable portfolio standard) important to all Ohio manufacturers."


Ohio AFL-CIO Chief of Staff Tim Burga called on lawmakers to include a renewable energy portfolio as part of forthcoming legislation designed to address electricity deregulation.


"We believe this to be a great opportunity to put politics aside, not only address the issue of electric restructuring and deregulation, but to adopt an integrated energy plan, which includes moving forward significantly in the renewable energy source field," he said.


Ohio Consumers' Council spokesman Ryan Lippe said diversifying the state's electricity generation would prove beneficial to consumers in the long run.


"With stronger and better environmental regulations all but certain at this point, and with fossil fuels going up in price, renewable energy and efficiency programs are becoming more and more attractive to ratepayers," he said.


According to the Environment Ohio report, boosting the state's wind energy power production to 20% by 2020 would generate about $1.5 billion in property taxes and provide rural landowners with about $200 million in lease payments to site wind farms. Moreover, it would prevent the release of: 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide; 470,000 tons of sulfur dioxide; 120,000 tons of nitrogen oxides; and 4,000 pounds of mercury.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

[quote="Columbus Alive"]

Black Creek Green
by G.A. Benton

WILL SHILLING PHOTO
During my initial visit to Black Creek Bistro, I spied a guy toting a woven basket of unwrapped farm-fresh produce back to the kitchen—a glowing, positive sign. Through repeated meals here, I've come to find that the veggie bearer was Kent Peters, the bistro's proprietor and owner of the farm that grew said produce.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Black Creek Bistro is a DIY-manifesto kind of place, but in a good way. As lengthily explained on its menu, the restaurant is fighting the good fight of sustainability. So it supplies all it can from its own farmland and otherwise goes as local as possible.

Black Creek's "green" commitment extends to reclaiming cooking oils for its vegetable-fat-powered farm trucks and composting food scraps. This emphasis on community seems truly genuine—even the eclectic art for sale on the bistro's walls (no finder's fees) comes from the nearby Chop Chop Gallery.

As a result, the go-your-own-way mood of Black Creek seems more Yellow Springs or Napa Valley than urban East Side Columbus (it sits on Parsons Avenue, recycling the Elemental site).

Blond wood, black tables, simple white walls and tablecloths blend with that aforementioned punchy art to lend a casual but stylish, modern vibe—and a super-friendly waitstaff is another plus. In short, this is the kind of heart-in-its-right-place establishment you want to support.

Fortunately, Black Creek's rapidly changing, always-seasonal menu mostly holds up its end of the bargain. And when a few dishes don't perfectly succeed, they're near misses erring on the sides of freshness and panache.

Soup-wise, a terrific gazpacho ($5) was elegant in its simplicity. Presented in a contrasting half-and-half style, spicy-hot tomato puree played yin to melony-sweet cucumber's cool yang. On another day, toasted orzo soup was more fresh veggies than pasta; it was nice enough, if over-salted.

A successful Trio of Hummus appetizer ($6) was able to reawaken the appeal of this now-ubiquitous bean dip. Resembling scoops of bright sorbets, the flavors were: beet, with a fine earthy sweetness; creamsicle-colored carrot; and basic hummus given a surprising and welcome burst of horseradish.

From the small plates, a grayish roll of pickly Hawaiian spearfish ($13) was OK but maybe better in conception than execution, with its mandarin orange segments and dry chow mein noodles.

An artfully presented Asian Marinated Tofu ($11) was quite nice—three unlarge wedges were given a crispy pan-fry on one side and coated in a winning (if expected) soy/sesame mix; they sat next to a fresh Napa cabbage slaw.

Black Creek Bistro

53 Parsons Ave., Olde Towne East

614-246-9662

Web: blackcreekbistro.com
One entrŽe special I wish would make its boldly delicious way onto the permanent list is a thick, lean, juicy pork loin ($18) with a chipotle-based rub and Dijon mustard wine sauce. The bacony, smoky pork was able to hold its own against potent coffee and chocolate notes nicely vying with mustardy tones. Somehow it all worked, ably mediated by simple crisp green beans with buttery herbs plus a neat garnish of house pickles and radishes.

A perfectly medium rare, tender and char-crusted Steak Duo of prime top sirloin ($24) alas arrived too cool to melt its solid toppings of red wine butter scoops—even though sides of refreshing zucchini sticks and caramelized onion al dente risotto were plenty warm.

And on another evening, both a chicken entrŽe (with a lovely piquant green salsa, $17) and a fish special (blackened fresh lane snapper, $18) came out with attractively crispy textures and zingy good flavors, but seemed to achieve them at the cost of a little interior moisture. So kitchen timing and consistency could be tightened up a bit. But it's by no means a deal-breaker.

Not with these racy flavors, wonderful wine prices (state minimum plus a $7 corkage fee), swingin' salads (try the garlicky Caesar, beet-rich Bistro or multidimensional Smoked Duck) and housemade desserts.

Speaking of which, a misnamed goat cheese custard—it was basically cheesecake—was great with its creamy texture, lemony essence, beautiful presentation and witty play on cheese and crackers (an aromatic pink peppercorn shortbread plank leaning against a cheesecake cylinder).

I also wanted to try a highly recommended Sweet Corn Crme Brulee, but it was sold out on a busy Saturday night. Being a (cheap wine) glass-half-full type, this only gave me one more reason to get back to Black Creek Bistro. See you there.

[/quote]

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Columbus Dispatch

Landfill dumping fees may rise
$1/ ton increase sought for inflation, expansion
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 3:29 AM
By Barbara Carmen
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The cost of dumping a ton of garbage at the Franklin County landfill is poised to rise $1 a year through 2010, and some residents could see the increase passed along to them.
The proposal seems small enough; the average county household tosses about a ton of trash a year, according to the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio.
But private haulers and cities say they'll look at charging more or stretching municipal budgets that already are strained to cover basic services such as road paving and snow plowing.
In Jefferson Township, Administrator Ellen Walker said the increase could affect a three-year trash-collection contract set to begin in October for more than 3,000 households.
"Our fees have been historically quite low -- $12.22 (a month) per household," Walker said. "But we do have a provision in (the contract) that allows the bidders to pass through an increase in tipping fees."
The rate increases will cover inflation and landfill expansion, said Ronald J. Mills, assistant executive director of the Solid Waste Authority, which manages the landfill and sets fees.
Increases in dumping fees have barely kept pace with inflation, and SWACO lowered the fees at times to be more competitive with privately run landfills.
If the proposed $1 per ton increase is granted, the cost to bury a ton of trash will be $7.50 more than it was 10 years ago. When adjusted for inflation, the actual increase over a decade is less than $1.50 per ton.
Currently, the landfill charges $33.50 a ton; the fee is about $10 more at transfer stations, which collect trash closer to neighborhoods and truck it to the landfill.
Last week, the authority's board of trustees voted to hold public hearings on the proposed fee increases. The request also will be scrutinized by an advisory board representing local governments.
Jonathan Kissell, a spokesman for Rumpke Waste Inc., noted that the fee increase is speculative but said it could affect what customers pay: "There may be some adjustments we'd have to make."
His company hauls garbage from 63,000 households and 3,500 businesses in Franklin County.
For the landfill's biggest customer, the city of Columbus, the $1 rate increase would cost $350,000 next year.
"We'll take a good hard look at their numbers to see if we agree" with the need for an increase, said Assistant Public Service Director Mary Carran Webster.
"If, in the end, that's the cost of doing business, and those are the people we do business with, we have to pay the increase."
SWACO has been "smart" in spending its fees, Mills said, though the authority has drawn criticism for its spending. A few years ago, for example, it paid $535,000 to public-relations consultants and spent $195,000 to hire entertainers to perform anti-litter skits.
That money, Mills said, came from a separate account, fed by the countywide waste-generation fee of $5 per ton. Private landfill owners had sued in the mid-1990s, saying SWACO should not be able to charge the fee.
The fee was held in escrow until the suit was settled a few years later. By 2002, the authority was spending down the account that held $6.9 million. Last year, the balance was $2.3 million. The account continues to fund such programs as recycling, education, yard-waste pickups and household hazardous-waste collections.
"We aren't wallowing in money," Mills said.
Dumping fees have fluctuated with court decisions and state taxes.
In June 1994, SWACO was charging a record high $49 a ton to cover costs at both the landfill and the trash-burning power plant, newly leased from Columbus. Three months later, the courts struck down government's monopoly on trash, forcing it into competition with private landfills. The dumping fee dropped to $32 a ton.
In 2005, the state added to dumping costs a $1.50-per-ton fee for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
Franklin County's tipping fee is also $7 a ton heftier to pay off debt owed on the trash-burning power plant. Payments are expected to last until 2017, although the plant was torn down in 2005.
The county landfill has, however, kept rate increases lower than others in the Midwest, according to a 2005 Tip Fee Survey by the National Solid Wastes Management Association.
In 2004, the most recent survey, the typical Midwestern landfill charged $34.96 per ton of trash, compared with $27 a ton here.
As dumping rates rise, officials point to a way out. Columbus is placing bins at 132 schools, aiming to nearly double -- to 20,000 tons -- the amount of recyclables collected each year.
"This has always been a 'green' issue for us, even before we knew of this proposed fee increase," Webster said. "That said, it is also now a financial issue. The landfill is not going to last forever."
bcarmen@dispatch.com
For additional health information, visit OhioHealth

From Columbus Distpatch

Alum Creek
Group plans to remove 2 dams
Safer, more healthy stream is their goal
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 3:29 AM
By Mark Ferenchik
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Enlarge
Bexley teenagers Peter Mott and John D. Connor were body surfing over a low-head dam along Alum Creek near Wolfe Park 20 years ago.
The boys were good swimmers. But they weren't strong enough to escape the "boil," the churning water below the dam that sucked them in and drowned them.
Now, a group plans to remove that dam and another to the north on the creek near Nelson Park. The Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries say that removing the two dams will not only make the area safer but also improve the water quality for fish and other life in the stream.
Representatives of the group and environmental consultants Burgess & Niple will lay out their plans at 7 tonight at the Wolfe Park Shelterhouse, 105 Park Dr., south of E. Broad Street.
Yesterday, Michael Mott was glad to hear that the dams could be coming down.
He is Peter Mott's brother. Every July 9, the anniversary of the boys' deaths, Mott visits the dam and speaks to his brother, "a quick little talk," to let him know he's thinking about him. Michael Mott was 13 when his 15-year-old brother died.
"We were really close," said Mott, who just turned 34 and is a manager at Figlio's restaurant on Riverside Drive.
The city of Columbus owns the dams and does not object to having them removed. The City Council approved spending $110,000 in November 1993 to pile 680 tons of large rocks at the dam where Mott and Connor died and at two other dams along the creek to prevent the dangerous churning at their bases.
No one is sure exactly when the dams were built. Aerial photographs from 1938 show the Wolfe Park dam. The dam near Nelson Park was built during the 1930s.
The group believes that the dams were built to create small recreational areas behind them, said David Roseman, the group's communications chairman.
The dams are believed to be 4 feet high, the group said. Yesterday, five ducks dipped below the water in search of food below the Wolfe Park dam. A dead tree was stuck between the rocks.
Removing the dams will allow people to canoe that part of the stream. A free-flowing creek also will give wildlife a better chance to thrive because the dams trap sediment and create standing water and lakelike conditions with low oxygen levels, said Russ Gibson, an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency manager.
The Alum Creek group will pay Burgess & Niple $248,200 in federal money funneled through the state EPA to remove the dams. The money also would be used to reseed the banks and monitor the impact of the removals, said Kim Williams, the group's watershed coordinator.
The state EPA is expected to sign off on the contract. The Alum Creek group hopes the dams can be demolished by the end of this year or early next year.
Bexley also received Ohio Public Works Commission grants of $305,208 to remove invasive plants, mostly honeysuckle, along the creek and replant native trees and shrubs and other plants. And it will pay for a pedestrian path near the creek and build a boardwalk to a wetlands, Bexley Development Director Bruce Langner said.
The Alum Creek group doesn't know of any opposition to removing the dams.
One father would be grateful. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge John A. Connor said his son John D., who was 16, and Mott were good friends.
He still doesn't know why the boys went to the creek.
"For some reason, Peter decided to swim under the water. J.D. saw his buddy go down and just dove into it," Connor said yesterday, believing that his son tried to pull Mott out.
Their bodies were found a mile downstream three days later.
mferenchik@dispatch.com
For additional health information, visit OhioHealth