The Willmar Municipal Utilities submitted a memo to the Willmar Planning Commission at Wednesday's meeting sharing its concerns regarding a senior housing development on southwest Willmar well fields.
The Willmar Municipal Utilities Commission was presented the final numbers regarding the demolition of the Willmar Power Plant and restoration of the site that took place starting in October of 2022 and continued through the late fall of 2023.
Throughout 2023, the Willmar City Council debated the location of the proposed city hall and community center, housing remains a top priority and businesses continue to invest in the city's industrial park.
General Manager John Harren said if Willmar Municipal Utilities had to rely on outside resources to keep the turbines running, it is likely they would no longer be functioning. Willmar Municipal Utilities is consistently monitoring the cost of power generated by the turbines, which is currently around 16 to 17 cents per kilowatt-hour. A major contributing factor regarding when to discontinue the use of the turbines is when the power generated by them begins to cost more than buying power from the Missouri River Energy Services.