Residents oppose WCTC wind tower
School officials, study say impact will be negligible
Village of Pewaukee — Residents in a subdivision near Waukesha County Technical College are objecting to a 95-foot tall wind turbine that school officials are proposing to be built behind the Electronics building.
WCTC officials will be holding an informational hearing Aug. 16 to address the neighbors' concerns.
In a mass email from Village Heights subdivision, the residents are upset they were not notified by WCTC or village officials about the project. The village Plan Commission approved plans for the turbine in April.
The email states the residents object to an "11 story tower and wind turbine behind our homes. We are all of the belief that these types of machines have no place in a residential or urban setting."
The email also expresses concern about noise, disrupting their lives, being close to the Pewaukee High School cross country trail and disturbing wildlife.
While the turbine is within 935 feet of the school's property line, there is a hilly, wooded area between the residential area and the campus. Kaylen Betzig, WCTC executive vice president, said it is not known if the turbine will be visible from the residences. Betzig said WCTC has received all necessary approvals from the village and the Federal Aviation Administration. The project still needs approval by the WCTC board, which is holding the meeting to get more input from residents.
Ray Walters, manager of renewable energy and sustainability for WCTC, said people are confusing the proposed turbine with the kind that is visible off Highway 41 near Fond du Lac.
Those turbines are nearly 400-feet tall, with 200-foot long blades that produce megawatts. The proposed turbine has blades that are 11-½ feet long, said Walters and the noise will not be any louder than the natural ambient noise, like "wind rustling through the trees," he said.
According to the environmental study posted on the WCTC website the turbine will have a noise level equivalent to a refrigerator at three feet distance. Given the turbine will be more than 200 feet from the nearest property line and WCTC building the "turbine will be virtually inaudible at these distances."
The nearest residences to the tower are at the end of Lookout Drive. Those houses have a base elevation of 955 feet and the peak of the tower will be at 1,047 feet, according to the study.
The tower will also have a minimal effect on wildlife. According to the study a bird is 2,500 more times likely to collide with a building window than hit the tower.
Betzig said the turbine is part of the college's expanding program in sustainability and renewable energy. The campus has solar panels and recently put a vegetative roof on one of its buildings.
Thus the turbine, like the solar panels and the vegetative roof are also learning tools as well as creating renewable energy, according to Betzig.
Walters said the turbine will produce about 8,000 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power an average residential home for a year.
The generator will cost $130,000 but the school is receiving a We Energies grant of $37,890 and a Focus on Energy Cash Back Reward Incentive of $14,837, according to plans.
Residents on Lenore Court and Lookout Drive have signed a petition asking the WCTC Board to not approve the project.
The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Room 140 in the Business Building.
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1 Comments
worksmart - Jul 29, 2010 7:38 PM
You should be sensitive to the impact of turbines on communities. This subject matter is an important part of a well-rounded curriculum on these energy projects.
I expect after one turbine is approved, another and another will be added at your "optimal locations". I surmise this from watching your cell towers erection and knowing there is a financial incentive to WCTC tied to these units, as well.