The Hale Wind Project in Petersburg will start construction in June. While local hires may have accommodations, out-of-area employees need a place to stay for the duration of the project.
Terry Akin bought a plot of land in Petersburg and intended to build an RV park for the windmill workers, he said.
“It would help the economy here and all these other businesses in town,” Akin said.
When he bought the land in January 2017, he said there were no ordinances. Two months later, the Petersburg City Council created an ordinance regulating the development and operation of RV parks.
“The city manager proposed an ordinance for RV parks. It was 27 pages long. There’s a whole bunch of things in there that’s extremely prohibitive that made it just not cost effective to be able to put them in,” he said.
Akin will not continue to pursue the project, he said.
When city council was asked about the ordinance, Ronald Heggemeier, city manager of Petersburg, said while the City of Petersburg does not have any motel space or RV parks, “several people in the community, however, are renting out vacant lots to the construction workers for the new windmill farm. Pursuant to local ordinances, only one RV may occupy each lot.”
One farmer in the town said he did not feel the RV park would be sustainable upon completion of the windmill project.
“It’s only going to be a year, they’ll be gone, and there will just be people coming in occasionally to work on them,” said the individual, whose name he does not want released.
He attributes the issue to a city that does not have enough to keep an RV park going, saying many people in the city do not have an issue with taking trips to other towns for goods.
“This is a kind of a bedroom community. Farmers and people work other places while they are manufacturing down here… It’s going to be hard for anybody that puts in a business of any kind here to be able to show a profit,” he said.
Other housing possibilities for workers included traveling to other towns like Plainview and Floydada.
“Shady Lane RV Park in Plainview already has 15 reservations for the windmill workers,” said Neva Taylor, owner of the RV park. “In all, I have about 28 I can reserve.”
“In the past I have never had anyone complain about the drive … We have restaurants here, shopping, and a lot of them like that,” she said.
