Concerns have been raised and heard: The current nature of the economy has been taken into account, and though plans to build the new Renewable Energy Center have been put on hold, they are by no means on the back burner, at least not to Gary Reed and Paul McCann.

After hearing the concerns of nearby residents over the course of five meetings, Eastern administrators have begun incorporating some of the suggestions into the design of the new energy plant, said Reed, director of Facilities Planning and Management.

“Some appearance changes are being considered in response to public forum input,” he said.

Although, it may be the current nature of the economy that poses the largest concern to those in charge of building the energy center.

“Let’s just say the financial markets are not being totally cooperative,” said McCann, interim vice president for business affairs. “Interest rates for revenue bonds are still at unusually high costs. We are hoping costs will return to normal.”

McCann said a revenue bond is one in which the recipient of the bond pledge to use the revenue generated by a project – in this case, the new energy center – is used to pay back the money loaned.

“We are just waiting to see what the ‘new normal’ (in the economy) will be,” he said.

In the event that market does not level out in the foreseeable future, however, McCann said administrators are viewing other options in order to keep the project on track.

“I’m optimistic that we’ve got some positive prospects,” he said. “We backed off a bit to see if all our ducks are in order. We’re biding our time to see what the market will do, though.”

Reed added that while uncertainty in the markets has kept administrators from getting a “firm handle on the financial situation,” Eastern administrators are committed to the project.

Timeline: Eastern Illinois University Energy Center on Dipity.

Reed and McCann both spoke about the need to search for additional avenues of revenue.

“We are seeking several alternate opportunities for potential project funding, including a request for federal stimulus dollars” Reed said.

And though the project may have been put on pause, progress is being made.

Reed said there is no timetable for the energy center as of yet, though “we are all heading in the same direction.”

“As originally envisioned, the plant could be operational within 18 months of the start of construction,” he said. “The key right now is to lock in on the funding and get approval to start.”

As far as residents’ concerns, changes to the design and layout of the energy center are being made to accommodate.

“We are considering the impact to project cost to place the energy center’s entry on Edgar Drive rather than Route 130,” he said. “We are also considering the application of some earthen berms and landscaping to help soften and shield the facility from surrounding residential areas. In addition, a design change reducing the overall height of the fuel storage area is in process. The objective is to keep the fuel storage equipment the same height as the building if possible so that the building acts as a shield.”

Residents’ concerns and economic strife aside, both McCann and Reed spoke about the positive environmental effect the new energy center could have.

“The EIU Renewable Energy Center is a green dream project -fueled with renewable and sustainable biomass,” Reed said. “The center replaces an obsolete plant located in the campus core. The location is ideal for handling truck traffic from an Illinois state highway.”

He also said the operation will be quiet and “an attractive addition to campus.”

As opposed to directly combusting coal to produce steam, the new plant would operate using wood chips, heated to high temperatures, driving off synthetic gas, Reed said.

“Also, land-filling produces over 20 times the greenhouse gases as combustion of the wood by-product,” he said.

Reed said the remote location of the new center would have no impact on facilities operation as a “shallow steam tunnel will be constructed connecting the new plant with the existing campus tunnel system.”

And McCann said that along with the energy center itself, other technologies to be used on campus would make the campus more efficient, financially and environmentally.

“I’m very positive that we’ve got a good project going,” he said. “It should be a source of pride for the campus.”

David Thill can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].