Karla Kolli, Dillon Consulting (Chair and Facilitator) 3. Community Liaison Committee (CLC) Terms of Reference (ToR)

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 9 MEETING MINUTES Subject: Port Ryerse Wind Farm Community Liaison Committee Meeting 1 Date and Time: May 30, :30pm 7:30pm Location: Simcoe Recreation Centre Arena (Norfolk Room), Simcoe ON Our File: Attendees Asier Ania, Boralex Samuel Richard, Boralex Adam Rosso, Boralex Nora Brown, CLC Member Steve Faulkner, CLC Member Larry Glaser, CLC Member Alan Sheppard, CLC Member Chris van Passen, CLC Member Karla Kolli, Dillon Consulting (Chair and Facilitator) Michael Seasons, Dillon Consulting (note taker) Regrets Wally Faulkner, CLC Member Bob Lawrence, CLC Member Notes 1. Introductions 1.1. CLC members introduced themselves. 2. Project Background 2.1. A review of the project progress to date was given by a representative of Boralex. 3. Community Liaison Committee (CLC) Terms of Reference (ToR) 3.1. The CLC Chair and Facilitator gave an overview of the CLC, its intended purpose, and how it will operate A member of the CLC sought to clarify whether disagreement with another member constituted grounds for removal from the CLC The Chair noted that disagreement is not grounds for removal from the CLC, as long as interactions remain respectful A member of the CLC requested that section 6.1 of the draft ToR be amended to allow for more than 4 meetings if deemed necessary by the CLC. ACTION: Dillon to revise section 6.1 of the ToR Boralex noted that their intent is to have 4 core meetings: this first meeting before construction, one during construction, one in the post-construction period, and one meeting during the operational phase.

2 Page 2 of A member of the CLC requested that section 6.2 be amended to increase the maximum limit of 3 public delegations so as to maximize the chance for issues of the public to be heard and addressed. ACTION: Dillon to revise section 6.2 of the ToR The member noted that CLC members are likely to hear from concerned citizens, so it will be important to ensure the CLC can function as intended with respect to addressing public concerns Boralex noted members of the public are encouraged to contact the Project whenever they have a concern so that it can be addressed in a timely fashion, as opposed to waiting for the next CLC meeting A member of the CLC noted that section 8.1 of the ToR (timeline for agenda distribution) does not align with section 6.2 (timeline for public submissions). ACTION: Dillon to revise section 8.2 of the ToR 3.6. A member of the CLC requested that the ToR be distributed in black and white format. ACTION: Dillon to distribute a black and white copy to the member 4. Project Construction Update 4.1. Boralex gave an overview of planned construction mobilization efforts Construction is expected to be a relatively quick process; heavy traffic is expected to be limited, with likely no more than 50 workers onsite at peak construction periods Mobilization will start soon and occur over a couple of days Road works will follow in 2 phases: first phase starts ASAP and runs until mid-july 2016, and will see access roads constructed; second phase will occur at the end of August 2016 and will see the upgrading of existing entrances and intersections to accommodate delivery of turbine components, if necessary Civil works will start at the beginning of July; foundation work will start in the second half of July, followed by a month-long curing period Delivery of the pre-fabricated E-shed (protection and control building) will occur in mid- August Turbines will be delivered on-site over the course of September, at an expected pace of 1 turbine per week; commissioning will begin following turbine installation Demobilization will occur by the end of November, with commercial operation set to start in mid-late Fall Construction operations will take place Monday to Friday, 6:30 AM to 7:00 PM; mobilization will begin at 6:30 AM, followed by the start of main works around 7:00 AM.

3 Page 3 of Some construction work (e.g. erection of turbines) may need to take place on weekends in September if weather does not cooperate (e.g. winds exceeding turbine erector crane safety limits) or if construction does not proceed to schedule. 5. Project Website and Communications 5.1. A member of the CLC asked when the Project website will be ready Boralex noted that the Project website is already online, and that information from the CLC will be uploaded after each meeting Boralex noted that they will provide week-by-week construction updates on the Project website so as to give the community an idea of construction progress and planned works within specific areas. ACTION: Boralex to prepare and distribute weekly construction updates A member of the CLC noted that these construction updates should be published as soon as possible so as to allow residents and cottagers time to plan around them. Permitting and Approvals 5.3. A member of the CLC sought confirmation of whether Boralex intended to expand the Project beyond the 4 turbines currently approved Boralex confirmed that they have no intention to add more turbines to the Project, and that the transmission line capacity and land use agreements would not make it feasible to do so A member of the CLC sought confirmation as to whether construction hours were in compliance with Norfolk County noise by-laws Boralex confirmed all construction operations would be compliant with relevant County bylaws A member of the CLC asked if building permits were necessary for turbine construction Boralex confirmed that they will have 4 building permits in total (one for each turbine), as well as a Road Usage Agreement with Norfolk County A member of the CLC asked if existing approvals could be rescinded by Norfolk County Boralex noted that Norfolk County is responsible for municipal permitting (e.g. building permits), whereas approvals for the construction and operation of a renewable energy project were given by the Province. Road Works 5.7. A member of the CLC asked whether Avalon Lane will be maintained by Boralex Boralex confirmed they will be top-grading the road at their expense in order to support construction works in June-July A member of the CLC asked whether access roads must remain open at all times, or only during construction.

4 Page 4 of Boralex confirmed access roads must remain open at all times so as to provide access to turbines at any time during Project construction or operation A member of the public asked whether it was true that construction plans called for the widening of Avalon Lane to accommodate 2-way traffic during construction Boralex noted this was not contemplated in their general plans, but may have been considered in certain locations to ensure emergency services access; Boralex anticipates traffic to continually move along Avalon Road during construction A member of the public asked whether plans called for road works in multiple areas at a time Boralex confirmed their plans call for starting on Avalon Lane then progressing sequentially A member of the public asked which intersections would be rebuilt Boralex confirmed 3 entrances (Avalon Lane and Gilbert Rd; north of the barn, off Port Ryerse Rd; and potentially south of the barn, off Port Ryerse Rd) and 1 intersection (Port Ryerse Rd and Woolley Rd) may need to be upgraded temporarily for delivery of heavy components, and that entrance widths were being finalized Boralex confirmed temporary widening of Port Ryerse Rd will potentially need to take place to accommodate blade delivery; transportation consultants are working to minimize entrance widths and widening needs as much as possible; widening activities scheduled to take a few days at most, after which the pre-existing state will be restored A member of the public asked if figures detailing the entrances and route to be followed during construction could be made available Boralex confirmed that the preferred route to be used by delivery and components vehicles will be posted to the project website. ACTION: Boralex to post routing information to the Project website Boralex confirmed they have submitted drawings to Norfolk County for permitting relating to permanent access to Turbine A member of the public asked whether road works would occur on private property, and how damages would be remediated Boralex noted that while the final Transportation Plan has not yet been completed, the intent is to complete reconstruction works within the public right of way (ROW), although they do have approval to work beyond the ROW if need be Boralex confirmed financial compensation would be considered, as per lease agreements in place, should damage to private property (e.g. crops) be incurred during road reconstruction works; landowners should contact Boralex in such cases. Traffic Management Planning A member of the CLC sought clarification of the traffic management planning details.

5 Page 5 of Boralex noted that the details of traffic management plans would be best answered by the subcontractors undertaking the work onsite. ACTION: Boralex to provide traffic management information on the Project website when it is available as part of weekly construction updates Boralex noted that the approach to construction will rely on just-in-time delivery so as to minimize road use for construction activities/vehicles; most construction traffic is expected to be limited to Port Ryerse Rd A member of the CLC asked whether there will be alternate access to get around Avalon Lane during construction Boralex noted that upgrading of Avalon Lane is expected to take approximately 2 days; most traffic is expected to occur perpendicular to Avalon Lane; no materials will be stored and no staging will occur along Avalon Lane. Boralex intends to limit construction activities/deliveries that would affect Avalon Lane on Friday afternoon to minimize disruption to cottage traffic A member of the CLC noted that traffic along Avalon Lane is not limited to cottagers, and includes several permanent residences Boralex confirmed that access by cottagers, residents and emergency services will be maintained at all times A member of the public asked how long construction-related delays are expected to be in the worst case when travelling along Avalan Lane to east-west access road during construction Boralex estimated a maximum of 5 minutes. ACTION: Boralex to confirm travel time along Avalon Lane Foundation Works A member of the CLC asked how cement will be poured Boralex confirmed cement will be poured in a continuous fashion (1 pour per turbine), with each pour operation taking approximately 1 day A member of the CLC asked if piles will be driven Boralex noted that current plans do not call for the use of pile driving, and their use would only be considered as a last option if soil conditions are discovered to be less optimal than what has been reported in geotechnical studies to date; Boralex does have regulatory approval to use pile driving if need be A member of the CLC asked how fill removed during foundation works will be handled.

6 Page 6 of Boralex confirmed that their intent is to avoid trucking soil in and out of the area, and that topsoil material from turbine construction will be removed and temporarily stored onsite. Once construction is complete the soil will be placed back around the turbine with appropriate grading for drainage. ACTION: Boralex to provide further information on plans for soil removed as part of collector system construction Boralex noted they are unable to provide the specific depth of foundations as final design drawings are not yet available. ACTION: Boralex to provide foundation depth specifications once design drawings are finalized Boralex noted that all foundation designs are reviewed and stamped by a professional engineer, and are designed to suit each turbine location based on geotechnical reporting and analysis. Collector System and E-shed A member of the public asked how deep the collector system and grounding rods will be relative to the surface Boralex noted that construction of the collector system will involve earth being removed, cabling (3 collector lines and 1 fibre optic line) placed in ditches, then ditches filled with sand; the collector system will typically be at least 1m below the surface at its shallowest point Boralex noted that soil resistivity testing had been undertaken to understand the degree to which the system would need to be grounded. The collector system will be grounded, and individual turbines may be grounded separately if circumstances call for it Boralex noted the Project design does not call for a dedicated power transformer onsite as each turbine has a small transformer mounted near the tower, in addition to the grounding transformer located near the E-shed (which acts to ground the system should a fault be detected in the Hydro One transmission line connection) A member of the public asked for clarification on the design of the E-shed and its position relative to Port Ryerse Rd Boralex noted the E-shed will be approximately 20x40 ft on a concrete slab within a larger area permitted for its construction, located northeast of the barn, approximately 100m offset from Port Ryerse Rd. A driveway of approximately ft in length will run north of the Barn along the property line to the E-shed substation area A member of the CLC asked if the Project can operate separately from connection with the Hydro One electrical grid Boralex confirmed that regulations to which the Project is subject require that it be connected to the provincial grid at all times.

7 Page 7 of 9 Emergency Services and Site Security A member of the CLC asked how incidents (e.g. trespassing) on the access road to Turbine 1 would be handled as access seemed to be easy Boralex confirmed they would discuss appropriate security measures, in concert with relevant landowners A member of the public asked whether security fencing would be used to secure turbines and electrical equipment from unauthorized access Boralex noted that turbines are not typically fenced-off, and that as they are located on private property the individual landowners will need to determine the level of security/access control they wish to implement for their property Boralex noted that they are responsible for security and liable for any damages during construction; construction staff will control unauthorized access to Project sites during construction activities A member of the CLC asked how emergency planning efforts will work given the common problem of EMS services having trouble locating addresses in the area Boralex noted that they will be working in concert with local emergency services to implement an Emergency Plan; each turbine will have UTM coordinates and a 911 address assigned to it A member of the CLC requested that Boralex have the above-mentioned systems tested once they are in place. Other Questions A member of the CLC asked whether Boralex would provide snow removal services along Avalon Lane during construction Boralex confirmed that snow will be cleared to provide access to the turbines. Snow removal along the full length of Avalon Lane is not in current plans, but Boralex will consider its options with respect to tendering the contract for snow removal services A member of the CLC asked what type of conductor is used in the Project Boralex confirmed copper conductors will be used A member of the CLC asked when surveyors would be onsite to perform legal surveys Boralex noted that the limits of construction have already been determined and are staked in the field. The legal survey is still to be completed A member of the public voiced concern over the Project using Port Ryerse in its name and requested that Boralex consider changing the Project name; web searches for Port Ryerse return the Project website and related news postings first instead of the local community Boralex noted that it is standard practice to name projects after nearby points of geographic significance; in this case, Port Ryerse is the closest geographic landmark.

8 Page 8 of A member of the CLC questioned whether Boralex could legally make use of the name Port Ryerse on the assertion that it constituted a trademarked name held by the Crown A member of the public suggested the Hay Creek Wind Farm would be a suitable alternative Boralex noted that the Project had already been approved by the Province under its current name, and that the legal name of the Project would be difficult to change at this point; however Boralex will consider what could be done to address the issue on the Project website. ACTION: Boralex to look into Project website search engine optimization A member of the public asked how avian wildlife will be managed during operation of the Project Boralex noted that previously-undertaken avian studies are available on the Project website, and that the Project had standing commitments to undertake post-construction natural environmental monitoring as part of its Renewable Energy Approval (REA) A member of the public asked whether data collected during post-construction environmental monitoring would be made publicly available Boralex noted they were unsure as to what data the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry would allow them to release publicly. ACTION: Boralex to confirm the extent of environmental monitoring data that will be made available to the public 6. Next Steps 6.1. Boralex noted that it would prefer to hold the next CLC meeting during construction so as to be able to respond to/mitigate any construction issues A member of the CLC noted that it would be best to hold it before foundations are poured (middle of August) All parties agreed to hold CLC Meeting 2 at 5:30 pm on a date between mid-july to mid- August, with meeting date to be finalized within the next several weeks. ACTION: Boralex to confirm CLC Meeting 2 details by end of June The meeting adjourned at 7:30 PM.

9 Page 9 of 9 Project Contact Information Port Ryerse Wind Farm LP Asier Ania, Project Manager, Development Boralex Inc portryersewind@boralex.com General Project Information Toll free: Project address: portryersewind@boralex.com In addition, Project information is posted to the Project website: CLC Facilitator Karla Kolli, MCIP, RPP Partner, Dillon Consulting Limited x2354 kkolli@dillon.ca Errors and/or Omissions These minutes were prepared by Michael Seasons who should be notified of any errors and/or omissions.