Kimball’s City Council heard Economic Development Director J. P. Komorny report that the Rail Spur Project is stepping forward in spite of Clean Harbors stepping back. The report came at Council’s meeting of Nov. 18.Komorny reported that Clean Harbors could not justify the $2 million that would be required for Clean Harbors to build the facilities they would need in the Rail Spur Project. Such an expenditure for a process they are already performing elsewhere could not be justified in the current economic climate, according to Clean Harbors management.Komorny said that the combination of several factors enables Kimball to go ahead with a smaller version of the original project. Two rail tracks that would have served only Clean Harbors will be dropped from the project. Dropping these two tracks cuts $466,000 from the project cost.The fact that bids just received were considerably lower than original estimates also helps make a smaller version of the project possible. The original estimate of the project cost was $1.225 million dollars. Four bids recently received were all in the range of $800,000 to $900,000. The lowest bid is for $809,000. With the lower project cost and $600,000 in Federal stimulus money and a $250,000 block grant available, the smaller version can move ahead.Komorny said, “We are negotiating with one business to come into the project and are in conversation with three additional businesses.”He indicated that Clean Harbors could still come aboard when economic conditions improve over their nationwide operation.Council was pleased to hear that the Clean Harbors back out did not kill the project.A resolution in support of a Wind Energy Training Center sponsored by WNCC Sidney was passed 4-0. The center would offer an intensive nine or ten month program in wind energy technology to meet the growing demand for trained personnel in the wind energy area. Deana Volkmer, of WNCC’s Sidney campus, presented the resolution to gain support for Federal funding for the program. She said the wind energy industry needs 13,500 technicians and there are few places offering such training.Volkmer said she and her staff working on the project had gotten program development help from some of the areas in the country actively developing wind energy. She spoke of the large wind energy potential of Kimball, Banner and Cheyenne Counties, at the same time recognizing the problems to be overcome in the state legislature and public power commission.Next council meeting will be held on Dec. 2.