By LINDA McGURK
Indiana Correspondent

REYNOLDS, Ind. — It’s been nearly two years since the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) declared Reynolds “BioTown USA” and started a giant makeover that will eventually make this town of about 500 residents self-sufficient with energy.

Enthusiasm was running high as residents started to get involved in the project, and the buzz about biofuel and renewable energy attracted the national media’s attention to the showcase community in Indiana. General Motors offered special incentive packages on flex-fuel vehicles, and last September the local BP station was transformed into a “BioIsland” that sells E85 ethanol and B20 biodiesel along with regular gas.

But the project’s centerpiece – the Technology Suite that will convert municipal and agricultural waste to electricity, fertilizers, thermal energy and biodiesel – is missing.

A high-profile groundbreaking for the plant in March featured local officials as well as Gov. Mitch Daniels and USDA Secretary Mike Johanns, but the future site of the Technology Suite, shorter than a mile west of Reynolds, is still nothing more than a cornfield.

“Right now, we’re pushing hard for (construction to begin) this fall. I’m hoping we’ll have (the plant) online by mid-summer or late summer next year,” said Cary Aubrey, ISDA co-manager of the BioTown project.

The original plan called for the Technology Suite to produce electricity by this fall and be fully operational next year, but the timeline has been revised due to issues with the old sewage plant.
The facility is outdated, and the town of Reynolds just received a $1.71 million grant from USDA’s Rural Development office to build a new mechanical wastewater treatment plant.

Until the new plant is functional, the Technology Suite has no means of getting rid of its discharge.

“I think it’s coming together nicely,” Aubrey said. “It’s just taking a little longer than we wish it did.”

The wait has some Reynolds residents wondering what, if anything, will happen next.

“There’s been a lot of hype, but not a lot of action,” said Mike Allen, a Reynolds business owner. “It’s been like a roller coaster. First we have all these meetings and everybody gets excited, and then nothing happens for a few months.

“I think everybody thinks something will still happen (with the BioTown project); they just get tired of waiting.”

The Technology Suite will purchase agricultural waste such as hog manure, corn stover and wheat stubble from White County farmers and use processes known as gasification, fast pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion to convert the biomass to energy. While many farmers see an opportunity to earn extra income from crop residue, others think the plant’s need for ag feedstocks may outpace supply.

“I question whether the soils around here can deal with having the corn stover taken off. We have pretty light soils as it is,” said White County farmer David Lochmund. “If you raise corn-on-corn, it may be a different issue, but my landlords don’t want any cornstalks taken off.”

David Allen, who raises corn and soybeans near Reynolds, was more optimistic. “You just have to have a way to put the fertilizer back,” he said. “I think (BioTown) is a good idea. Any time you’re using renewable fuels, it’s good. I’m glad the town took the plunge.”

The BioIsland in Reynolds is the most tangible evidence of its makeover. And it does more than fuel the estimated 150 flex-fuel vehicles driven by the locals.

“I’m tickled to death. It’s nice to send this money to an Indiana corn farmer,” said Dennis Stockberger of Berrien Springs, Mich., as he filled up his Toyota Tacoma with E85. Stockberger drives through Reynolds several times a week, and stops at the BioIsland every time to fill some spare cans with E85.

“Whatever I drive, I toss in 30 percent E85. You notice the difference from the first tankful. It’s a smoother ride.”

The Technology Suite, once operational, will certainly bring about other changes in Reynolds, even if some of them have yet to leave the drawing board. Dozens of industries are reportedly interested in locating in Reynolds because of the BioTown project, leaving the locals questioning how much they want their town to grow and how they will deal with increased traffic.

Meanwhile, students from Ball State University are working on an elaborate downtown revitalization plan, which includes restoring historic storefronts and digging a canal. There’s no question that visions for BioTown abound. Now it’s just a matter of making them happen.

“I think everybody was a little disappointed at first,” said Christine Dahlenburg, who runs a downtown photography studio and is a member of a BioTown planning committee. “General Motors came in and gave away cars, the governor was here all the time and there was all this hoopla. Now we finally got our gas station,” she said.

“There are so many people who come in and ask about (BioTown), but there’s nothing to show yet. I guess everybody thought everything would happen right away. But we’ll get there eventually.”
Aubrey already hailed BioTown a success and predicted it will keep changing with the times, long after the official three phases of the project have been completed.

“I don’t think there will ever be an end or a finale. I think technology is always changing and growing, and the future is endless for sustainable energy,” he said.