$70M ethanol plant in Dover proposed.

Byline: Joe Grundle

The town of Dover wants an ethanol plant that the neighboring village of Union Grove does not.

It will be up to Racine County to play Solomon and determine which municipality gets its druthers, and cutting the plant in half is not an option.

The county's Economic Development and Land Use Planning Committee was scheduled to vote on a $70 million ethanol plant proposal in Dover Monday night. But Planning and Development Department Director Julie Anderson said earlier Monday she expected the committee would table its decision until more information was obtained.

"It's the first project of its kind around here, so we don't need to rush into a decision," Anderson said. "We want to be well-informed."

Developer Bob Kordus, owner of Asphalt Contractors Inc. in Union Grove, proposed the $70 million plant for 100 acres on the north side of Highway 11, less than a mile west of Union Grove in Dover.

The plant is expected to produce 50 million gallons of ethanol each year and create 40 to 50 full-time jobs with benefits.

The Dover Town Board approved a conditional use permit for the plant Wednesday, citing the additional jobs and tax revenue it would bring to the area. That leaves it up to the county to issue its permit or not.

But Union Grove has already voiced its opposition to the project, according to Anderson. Among other concerns, the village feels the plant will consume too much water and negatively impact traffic volume.

Union Grove Village Board President Mark Hoefs said if the plant connects to the village water system, the village calculates an increase of 485,000 gallons of water usage per day from 750,000 gallons currently. Hoefs claims it takes 4 to 5 gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol, but Kordus disagrees, putting it at about half that amount.

"We have three deep wells, and the aquifer is dropping at a rate of 3 to 5 feet per year and has not gone up," said Hoefs. "Every eight to 10 years, we have to drop the well head deeper, so it is a concern. The town of Dover wants it, but we have to take into account the effect it will have on our environment."

Deter development?

Hoefs said he has received hundreds of calls from people opposed to the project, including one from an out-of-state caller warning of a supposedly unpleasant smell that emits from a nearby ethanol plant.

Hoefs also worries that the construction of an ethanol plant will deter developers from investing in Union Grove's multimillion downtown...