Industrial park building sold
Staff writer
Marion finally sold at Monday’s city council meeting a city-owned building it’s been struggling to sell for years.
Several sales of the building, at 828 Roosevelt St., have fallen through.
“Let’s get rid of it!” council member Jerry Kline said, raising his hands in the air before the unanimous vote.
Two and a half years ago, National Renewable Resources, a company developing Expedition Wind farm in the southern portion of the county, offered $190,000 for the building. The company delayed the purchase, first because it was fighting multiple lawsuits, then because the wind farm project was being sold to a Danish company.
Orsted Onshore North America bought Expedition on May 25.
Orsted decided to buy the building and two adjoining lots on the east.
The building will be used for wind farm maintenance. The lots will be used for storage of parts.
Council members unanimously voted to authorize a contract for sale of the building and the land.
Since purchasing the wind farm, Orsted has renamed the project Sunflower Wind.
The name pays tribute to the state flower, spokeswoman Erin Szalkowski said.
“We are pleased with the new Sunflower Wind name,” said Jonathan Vasdekas, director of development for Orsted. “We anticipate starting construction in the spring of 2022, and we look forward to being a responsible and good neighbor in Marion County for decades to come.”
Constructing the wind farm will create up to 200 jobs and require ongoing operations and maintenance over its estimated 30-year life.