Ethanol plant footings poured ahead of schedule

Building walls are being erected now

By Susan Larson | The Daily Journal

Published Thursday, December 7, 2006

Swift progress on the ethanol plant construction does not necessarily mean an early opening, its leader said.

“We had a good fall to get site and dirt work done,” Otter Tail Ag Enterprise CEO Kelly Longtin said. “We had hoped to get about 50 percent of the dirt work done but we ended up completing 80 to 85 percent of it. We’ve been pouring footings and some of the walls for some of the buildings are going up.”

Approximately 12 buildings will be built on the site, including an administration building, processing building, maintenance.

The ethanol plant is scheduled to go begin operations in early 2008. A host of variables, such as equipment deliveries, will affect the start date, Longtin said.

Since Otter Tail Ag will be a Job Opportunity Building Zones business, a public hearing is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 18, during the regular city council meeting for Otter Tail Ag to iron out a business subsidy agreement with the city. JOBZ is Minnesota’s rural economic development stimulus program. It offers tax relief to companies that start up or expand in targeted areas of Greater Minnesota.

“The (business subsidy agreement) will determine how many jobs will be created and how the plan will be fulfilled,” Economic Improvement Commission Director Harold Stanislawski said. “It’s just protocol that has to be filed with the state. It’s done with every JOBZ business.”

A ceremonial ground breaking for the plant was in October. It will be located west of Fergus Falls on State Highway 210 and 1.5 miles north on County Road 116. It is expected to bring $110 million in economic improvement to the Fergus Falls area. The plant will start operation at 57.5 million gallons of ethanol, but is permitted for 65 million. About 24.3 million bushels of corn a year will be used.