Snowmobile races on Butterfield Lake signals a winter community celebration
Information received by the Butterfield City Council at their Monday, November 10 regular monthly meeting might mean that Butterfield residents could eventually become solar “gardeners.” Kurt Blomgren of Butterfield was a the meeting along with Ralph Kaehler of Novel Energy Solutions. Kaehler presented a plan to council members for a potential community solar garden (a solar garden is a community-shared solar array with utility grid-connected subscribers, including homes and businesses).
The idea behind the solar garden is to encourage Xcel Energy customers to subscribe to the installation – for no money down and a 10% discount on their electricity bill – in order to help create a cleaner energy source. The garden’s lifetime minimum is 25 years. A one-megawatt garden would encompass five-to-seven acres of land, and cost between $2.5 million-$3 million. However, the City of Butterfield would not be charged a down payment, while the city-owned land, where the panels would be built, would be leased out, giving the city a profit.
Upon Kaehler’s request, the council adopted a site-control agreement.
Off to the races
Butterfield – specifically Butterfield Lake – could potentially be “off to the races,” the snowmobile races that is. Blane Braaten of Butterfield attended the council meeting to introduce the idea of holding snowmobile races on Butterfield Lake, with the intention of growing the event into a winter festival, complementing the Butterfield Summer Sizzler. The event, geared to be family-friendly, is slated for Saturday, February 28, 2015, beginning at 9 a.m.
In other business
* Heard the first reading of the Sunday of the Sunday liquor sales ordinance. The proposal passed by one vote in this past November’s November 4 general election. The council will act on the ordinance at their December meeting. If passed, the ordinance will go into effect upon publication.
* Rescinded the Watonwan County Sheriff’s Office contract held by the city.
* Maintenance Manager Brandon Winch presented his monthly report, noting that the city’s equipment has been winterized and shared that the next project is the snow fence. He added that only five more of the new electronic water meters need to be installed.
* Following the meeting, the 2014 general elections canvassing board met to approve the changes to the Butterfield City Council, effective as of January 1, 2015.
