good afternoon everybody my name's dave costner and john manager of the board of public works and it's great to have you all here i'd like to welcome you all to the groundbreaking celebration for the involved in the project and many of you that have travel the distance to be here it's wonderful to be here today and i truly feel like i'm among friends so thank you for coming out today you know today is a day that we have an actually been doing this for almost a decade now so really what we're doing is we're celebrating this next that in the process and it's also an opportunity for us to celebrate the legacy of the community you know how there's always been a place of self determination and self reliance and how it is also about a place that is a stablished it's a vision and always done the hard work scary to see that it vision becomes a reality that a fact that over one hundred twenty years ago the residents of our community got together and decided to take control of their energy destiny they did so by voting to move out of the kerosene era it began operating their first power plant and eight hundred ninety three they did soledad in one nine hundred forty by the building of our james a young power station each decision was visionary this decision took significant investment but each decision was based upon the recognition by our community that affordable reliable energy was a key to our prosperity and our growth that has never changed what has changed is the fact that today we understand that the infrastructure we build or our community must be held to a higher standard of sustainability and stewardship we're aware of the impacts that we have on our natural world and we know that the infrastructure that we bill has to be protective of our environment for generations to come and actually environmental considerations and concerns were at the part of a sustainable return on investment process that's this community under in reaching our power generation decisions this time around an amazing process it was for weeks and months members of this community came together to learn and to discuss and yes even at times debate the different options the different barracks and costs and benefits of the various such power generation options that were in front of us it all took place within the context of a larger community energy plan a plan that has a goal of making the how a community a world class efficient city will sometimes the work was challenging and difficult but in the end the outcome it was a community driven proposition this is an exceptional community that took  out to perform an exceptional process and now our challenge is to do the will of the community and to build that exceptional facility how an energy park will be that facility there will be that facility not only because it's going to generate power efficiently and cleanly for our homes and our businesses but also it's going to provide heat for a growing storm out system and hold the potential for district energy for our future it also is going to provide access to green space around our facility that ultimately will be able to connect to natural trails and parkland that also is going to be an educational resource for our community a place where people can come and learn about the communities energy past and future and find a way it's going to provide a to modern history a gateway to our community that took a lot of hard work from a number of different people to bring us to this point today to be able  threshold that we're about to cross a one characteristic that came through throughout the process was that all that were involved had a desire to see what's best for our community and far planet you know with the speakers that are going to follow me today you'll be able to have an opportunity to learn even more about this amazing facility i pleased to have many of our project partners here and for them to be able to talk about their goals and objects of objectives and their expected outcomes at the end of the project before we do that i think it's very important to recognize the leadership of our outdoor public works board members years for about ten years and is really taking a look at one of the needs of this community not just today not in twenty years from now but forty years from now what do we need to put in place  to ensure that we have fiber infrastructure to serve our community now and in the forty plus years ahead of us we talk about today do we need to put in place to assure that holland is the destination for not only the residents but especially the businesses that will employ those residents in the years to come  was a key part of our talk to our customers a distributor a reference point in excess of eighty percent of the power of the supplier to the customers and the greater fallen community goes to industrial and commercial thank you to graduations to the ford de coster congratulations to you for all of the efforts and labors that are now seeing some fruition and in a tangible way as we gather here today as well as the entirety of the port of public works i am pro tax for currently the mayor of the city of holland and it gives me great pleasure to stand before you on this day i can tell you that this day is a long time coming in fact the project they were here to kick off today really spans at least two board chairs at the board of public works it spans at least two general managers of the board of public works it spans at least two city managers of the city of parliament it spans many members of the city council and board of public works board and it will span at least two thirds well  mayor of the city park we have been talking about this energy future for our community for a good number of years we have been talking and thinking and the plans have been changing and coming to fruition because of the energy world is a very rapidly changing world subject to not only the market but also to the regulators and over that time we came up with different ideas that came in and they went and throughout this process we have had probably the most robust public participation process i can ever imagine a project like this ever happened and in fact today's groundbreaking of this particular plant was one of at least eight different options that were the last choice not a total but eight that were the last choices for us to look at and ultimately based upon a myriad of factors this was the best option for this community in fact this is been going on for so long i do recall thinking more than one occasion it will be a very cold day in a very warm place before we ever come to a spot to reach the decision and then i stepped outside this morning he wanted to call dave and say let's get those shovels ready quickly because we need to push things going speaking of which shows as to mention the electric utilities but one of one of but for utilities of the people w has and there's another project going on at this particular moment with one of the other ones that wastewater treatment facility and in homage to that plant we will not actually be throwing dirt or sand today it will be throwing t involved in this process over these many years and it is this in addition to all the many benefits that this plant will have for the next forty years for this community it's important to note that the way we got to today the electric utility service for five jurisdictions the city of holland our charter township park township fillmore township and like downtown i can tell you that the process we undertook and the relationships that we have built to get us to this day i really quite extraordinary and in particular i want to say a special thanks and special word appreciation to our friends and partners and fellow hollanders the whole charter township because absent their cooperative efforts and absent their view of this plan to spin an important piece of infrastructure for the entire community express appreciation to th as we look at the future for what this plant and this facility holds for our future tim summed it up quite well we're going to have excellent control of our energy future and many of you perhaps for listening to the governor's message not long ago about energy in the state of if you look at what he is talking about doing in michigan it lines up almost identically with what we're trying to do here in holland and i think that is a very good thing obviously for us but it's also a very very good thing for michigan and we're pleased today to have one of representative ministration of the state of michigan one of the commissioners from the public service commission a great white to address the audience and provide some   project is exactly in line with what governor snyder has been promoting and we've been spending a lot of time working for many many years of trying to develop how do we go forward which incidently future and i will report you need to look at what's going on and how this community as a model for how we should be doing things that the state level as well certainly the governor's message of sustainable reliable and affordable energy with an eye to protection of the environment is screwed as the process that's been used here in this community it's truly a model that should be looked at by the rest of the state and the kinds of projects that we're doing here closure of the community and the community driven process integration into the community natural space towards affordability and reliability recover clearly the kinds of things that we need me doing that we should be doing and i also want to stress the importance of the efficiency not only of the system but the efficiency that's being developed into the community was above really this is visionary and again it's really something that should we should be looking at as a model for the future and so with that i would just like to congratulate their dykstra for gradually the board of public works for the sub standard project it's my pleasure to meet european effort governor rick snyder that represents the organization that's been with us all the way it's been great having h d r walking side by side with us as we've gone through a sustainable return on investment process and that on r s representing us as our owners engineer on the project and staying true to our vision and so i would like to bring out jim cotter of gemma's the senior vice president at h t r and allow him to make a few remarks j looked at all kinds of different options iris our wire valuation is a unique quantitative cost benefit assessment that considers not just financial and economic considerations but also social and environmental factors to establish a triple bottom line framework and evaluation of infrastructure projects so in other words it considers not just economics for the so called extra maladies of projects and to projects so a very open transparent and collaborative the how on there as you park was the first ever application of our sri process to our project and i honestly think it sets a pretty high bar i'm going to park the natural gas fired combined cycle project emerged as clearly the best alternative not only from a financial and economic analysis but also from sustainable return on investment point of view but the h b p w didn't stop reaching out to community with the sri process rather it being gauged a blue ribbon panel of community stakeholders it leaders to define what the project would look like and how it would be integrated into the community i can tell you that what we're celebrating today is a long ways away from the ugly but functional parkland that our engineers originally sketched out other speakers have alluded to this well but from my experience what makes the holland energy park so unique what's the process by then i mean the transparent and collaborative community engagement process that each b t w drove throughout and consistently e p w actively engaged in solicited important feedback from all sides regional stakeholders the community leaders industry everybody can do so every step in evaluating their options frankly the engineer me thought they were nuts but the results speak for itself how an entry park project that we're breaking rocks for today represents so much more than just speaker and if you haven't noticed there are some rather large equipment outside and it's going to be able to perform a lot of good work very efficiently and effectively our next speaker is our next partner carry out the work associated with that as my pleasure really to have got to know of some of the individuals from cardinal is a family owned business that individuals from third generation of that family and family started the business back in the nineteen twenty four and it was just formed in michigan it's been a michigan company you know all three of those years and what i think is most impressive in addition to their resume of work that they've done in the number of projects they've done is a couple things one they were able to really hear to our vision throughout this process and that's one of the reasons that they were selected for this job but i've also been  pressed after they've been on the job that without any solicitation one of the first things they've done is they've actually been very key in sponsoring very large concerts have associated with it took time that they understand when it's time to come into the community and do a job that's more than just the job they're doing it's how they in that community lots of ways and i'm very encouraged by what they've expressed to us about that willingness to integrate and be part of our community over the duration of this project and so what we said about everything i wanted to cover so quick that the one overwhelming feeling that i had when i was listening to the other speakers says this is bedouin for a long time i just i'm really feeling anxious  back for the opening of the dedication of the ribbon cutting for this project after the successful build but i want to share with you many new york throughout this community our barrel comes in even though is they mention ninety plus years of the business as a michigan based farm we're bringing in that you're this job we understand our work in this great state of michigan and what it means and we understand the local community but one thing that is all over and with core purpose that talks about people projects and community and when we talk about people many of them around you today if you take a look around and you see all those bright yellow vests i would encourage you with this is wrapped up to talk to any one of those people on this project that kept coming out every day our goal is that the people that work here will go home the same way if not better than they came in every day that is a commitment a commitment to the surrounding people around the project for the community and for all that we keep you informed of things that we're doing on this job that affect a community to make sure that everybody is safe in this environment that's our commitment apolo cyril we have a pool of zero recordable for this and i'll tell you i never get tired of the excitement that these projects playing this is an exciting job i mean it's if we built power plants yes that's why they've hired us we have a resume other things that we built around the community but it's really need to set goals like we do i believe and i maybe check on this comment by a polish job they haven't vision platinum status i think would be the first of its kind so  that gets me excited as a builder for those you know want to know more about envision platinum status will talk afterwards i don't have the time to cover that but it's an exciting process that happens for the chief objectives in the building this job and on this project community so i wouldn't just encourage those members so that i know we've got a great showing from from those firms here today and it just shows the commitment here then the community side of it last but not  we're pleased to plug into local events and community that that's who we are that's part of the company we understand what it means to come into these areas not to mention you know people are talking about well what are some of the impact that we can have in this community i mean that you think about let's put two hundred trades people out of this job they tell me that's not have a very positive impact on the local businesses of this community let's talk about the spam that we're committed to from  around town at these events so i am going to i'm going to wrap up and i thank you for this opportunity to be your chosen builder i'm proud of our team that we put together we want to commit to you know the safety also that commitment for this project to you and i really hope that through this process through this project and then at again that the pardon our company will become like had on many things but it doesn't happen without technology and the good news of this project there is world class technology being employed and but really excited to be able to build a relationship with our next speaker  name as you walk through the plant at the dedication you might see in a lot of places but they have been very responsive they have some world class technology that's going to drive efficiency of this facility to a point where it's going to be provide very cost effective environmentally responsible power supply for our community so with that i'd like to bring up our next speaker during the course was the head of our generation sales for the first time speaking o we're proud to be here and we thank you for this opportunity i give you the commitment that the long term success of the holland energy park will be enthusiastically and fully supported with pride by my company saying that your confidence in us will not go on the board and i also like to congratulate to convey a message of going forward cooperation to the other is happening here and in some other parts of the country truly symbolizes america's industrial renaissance the american energy revolution i'm proud that my company s ens can deliver our most modern and efficient turbans here to utilize to clean burning low cost american natural gas the benefit of the citizens of this community i was asked by dave to comment on the technology and you see a picture of the gas turban on the on the screen is an i pad i could bore you with the firing temperatures of materials and coatings and all and stuff but i thought this might be best done with a comparison of the something that all of us know something about how messages get sent so you know we used to send messages by typing them remembers those that the majority of america generating capacity is is about the vintage of the i b m selectric typewriter then we moved from mainframe computers to personal computers with all the wires and boxes screens and keep boards and all that junk and then we figured out how to make it into a laptop so we put everything in one little package and what do you use now to get a message to anyone your i phone it's compact it's elegant it's beautiful it could multitask and when you get a new one everyone wants to see it just like the holiday energy park ladies and gentlemen by the beginning of two south thousand and seventeen you're going to have the i phone a power plants right over there like your i phone the equipment inside is being sourced to make sure that we accumulate the best the world has to offer in this plant the turbans are currently being manufactured in europe and will travel from factory to seek work by early summer that come down the st lawrence to detroit and then be trucked here to holland arriving early july and august timeframe we plan these with state and local authorities pretty early we already know the trucks so enter the city from the east on chicago tries to make a right on their backs to to come here the computer controls that will operate all this  program to alpharetta georgia we have a service network that will support the plant throughout its life be our service operations based in chicago our count manager lives in an arbor i can assure you that no other project in our american energy business is more exciting than this one the hollin energy park to date you are doing something here that's just did you want to say anything is we're not only creating a world class power generation resource but we're integrating into the community in really unique ways and i've been very pleased to have one of our neighbors use travel sleeves because they have the property of mediately to the north of this facility and they also have tremendous plans for the greenway and have had plans for several years and this can provide a real catalyst for them and for the community in general and traverse thank you for what you've been involved in and i'd like to come up today and share with people little bit about some of your thoughts and hopes associated with this project so thanks trav connecting that land to the community to the people that live in this area for conservation purposes for recreational purposes and for over a quality of life that it provides at this area and i start to tell you that in the eighteenth floor he sat in white holland was first set of folks that came here and had a very clear objectives coming here because they wanted a place that had vibrant natural resources they chose this place because of the water because of the forest and because of the resources that it presented to them to build this community that we now live and enjoy and that value for the green space that value for the outdoors still exists today and i'm proud that i get to live and work in this community because people like you walk or talk today the board of public works with david his team and kurt mayor and the city they all have a strong interest in preserving and protecting this natural resource and the central understanding of all this has that the land and the nature of that that we have in there around us we belong to is all world and together  it's woman together in the same kind of fabric that ensures that our community will always have this natural feature of this natural resource to it so when the house board of public works began this project and i was invited to be part of it one of the things that came up right away was this idea of park this this last word of the phrase that they use how an energy park that is really key to this community because this project is more than just developing a new heart for the city having a new place that produces electricity and and heat to heat our streets but this this park here this energy park is about actually integrated that fabric that was started many years ago and integrated that ra have people of more trails to walk on to connect to people in the outdoors during this time period they're in our development we're finding that communities and families are spending less and less time outdoors they're becoming more and more to eat with their i phones or their tablets to the point where we know that children are spending something like fourteen to sixteen hours a day in front of electronic media and some families that are national standard says ten to twelve hours a day having places outdoors work everybody to get out and walk and act is really important so i've been privileged to be a part of this project i'm excited to be earlier today and i'm pleased to share with you that there are plans that are being developed plans that are place for the whole bachata river greenway but we've actually put together a plan that is back on the back table well straight to you how we can actually connect the back to greenway trail system that currently dead ends a windmill ten mile trail system that we're trying to put out along the entire greenway the groundbreaking of our facility here is really unique it's because it's not only the beginning of the new energy plan but it's the beginning of yet another natural resource that we the people that live here to take advantage of it benefit from this is more than just built in an energy part this is building a bigger and better community so once again i want to let you know that i'm excited that i'm able to be here today and i challenge those who speak about me in a part of this community to think about how you can help us make these connections and begin this process of putting this trail system in and integrate percent higher energy part into our entire community i hope i'll be able to talk with many of you about that and we'll be able to look at ways that when you're doing this work here you'll be able to build into the greater green way that we haven't in our community to be able to share with you h this energy generation celie possibly an environmental recreational asset to our community is critical so as you walk away from here please keep that in mind we're thrilled to be part of this project we have staff who are currently working  it or i look for it to be a part of this project i look forward to partnering with the city with those who are working on this project and we hope that together we can fill what is going to be a centerpiece at new heart for the ho power plant development was taking place you know a pledge to all of you that we're going to be good neighbors to this project and appreciate all your support and involvement you know through the process so far and i also want to recognize our staff invited a lot of our power generation the people here today as well these are the better weapon that are going to be operating this facility and they bet they're going to do it in the standard that has been put in place for many many years as they have operated our james young plant they're going to be transitioning over to this facility your for the next couple years and i'm very excited to have them here today to be able share in this event but also several others of the hundred seventy five individuals at the board public works that have been involved in this  project from you know the power generation people all the way through our executive staff here whether it's been involved in the financing aspects the planning or now the carrying out of the construction how they played a key role in the continued play a key role in that why they have i mentioned to some of you that are going to be involved in this so proud breaking fortunately the building had a nice area of dirt in it just to so happened to happen that way so you know we're going to go ahead and break ground in the facility