County awards Tenaska funds to local groups

Each year, the commission selects local organizations to split $15,000 from a civic improvement fund set up by Tenaska, the energy company that owns the 242-megawatt wind farm, Tenaska Clear Creek Energy Center, located north of Maryville.

In 2019, after coming to an agreement with the county to support the construction of the wind farm, Tenaska volunteered to donate $15,000 per year for 20 years to the fund — a total of $300,000.

The commission decides each year how to spend the money, but it must be spent on community development and public service activities.