SUNNY AND 72 TODAY.
THE MAQUOKETA CITY COUNCIL THIS WEEK AGREED TO HIRE AN ENGINEER
TO LOOK AT BUILDING A WIND TURBINE AT THE YMCA SITE, TO SERVE
THE Y.
COST WILL BE $5,000 TO FIND OUT IF THERE WILL BE ENOUGH WIND TO
MAKE IT FEASIBLE. SOUNDS LIKE A LOT, DOESN'T IT?
THE ESTIMATED COST FOR THE WIND TURBINE WILL BE MORE THAN $500,000 AND OF THAT, THE CITY'S COST WILL BE ABOUT $171,000....NOT COVERED BY GRANTS.
THE CITY HAS BEEN TOLD IT WOULD REDUCE THE ELECTRIC BILL BY 25%
AND STILL LEAVE A MONTHLY BILL OF $4,500. IT WAS MENTIONED AT MEETING BY COUNCILMAN AMY MOORE THAT A STUDY AT THE MAQUOKETA HIGH SCHOOL
SOME TIME AGO, SHOWED THE WIND SPEEDS IN MAQUOKETA ARE NOT SUFFICIENT TO RUN A TURBINE SUCCESSFULLY. SHE BELIEVES THERE ARE A LOT OF RISKS
IN THE PROJECT. AND I AGREE.
AND...NO ONE...HAS MENTIONED SOLAR ELECTRIC AS A POSSIBILITY INSTEAD
OF WIND. QUIET AND GROWING IN POPULARITY!
THE MAQUOKETA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION HELD THEIR ANNUAL END OF YEAR
DINNER LAST NIGHT WITH ABOUT 75 IN ATTENDANCE. THEY HANDED OUT
A COUPLE MAJOR AWARDS. THE MAQUOKETA KIWANIS CLUB WAS THE
RECIPIENT OF THE "FRIEND OF EDUCATION" AWARD AND IT WAS ACCEPTED BY
KIWANIS MEMBER KATHY SEYFERT. AND THE TEACHER OF THE YEAR AWARD
WENT TO LONG TIME HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER RANDY SPRINGER.
SPRENGER WAS ONE OF FOUR VETERAN RETIRING TEACHERS WHO WERE ALL HONORED AT THE DINNER. THEY OTHERS WERE SUE HASS, DAN PINION AND
MARK HILLEBRAND. THE OUTGOING CO-PRESIDENTS OF THE M.E.A. ARE KATHY QUINLAN AND TOD BOWMAN. NEXT YEAR'S CO-PRESIDENTS WILL BE MINDY
ORRIS AND PAULETTE HORNER.
THANKS AGAIN FOR THE VISIT.
DENNIS VOY
I say no to this "want" (that only some think needs to be done) to the "white Elephant" that people so adore! Not me! I think they need to spend money on fixing the badly deteriorating infrastructure called streets!!!!!!!!! If ya don't know what white elephant means look it up.
ReplyDeleteAs a taxpayer in majoketa i am just sick and tired of piss poor decisions or thoughts they come up with. It just doesn't justify to even think of getting a turbine. in the dead of summer there isn't much of a breeze duh.... I sure could use 171,000 dollars hell even 5,000!!
As far as the study is concerned, is there any chance the local college could come up with students that could do that as a class project? I imagine that would be a less expensive way to study the breeze.
ReplyDeleterusty lietz rules
ReplyDeletei agree rusty rules
ReplyDeleterusty number 1
ReplyDeleteEveryone wants a piece of the government pie. Who pays for the maintenance & repair of the turbine, additional cost of insurance? Do we have "proof" of potential savings of electricity from other places. Was the savings quoted based on the rated power of the turbine or the actual produced? Most wind turbines according to the industry are maybe 30% efficient. That's their number, many find much less numbers of efficiency.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the neighbors -- there have been lawsuits in other areas when these things are placed too close to neighborhoods because of the noise and shadow flicker. One company has a court injunction against them to turn the wind turbine off in the evening so people can sleep. Those neighbors lived between 250 - 700 feet from a similar size wind turbine.
I assume the Y's insurance will go up because of the wind turbine -- ice throw, etc - a real possiblity in Maquoketa's winters.
The wind speed should have been looked at first. Personally I feel this is just a "feel good" "look at us" project. When the wind turbine is out of date or cost prohibitive to repair is the government grants (oh right taxpayer money) and handouts going to be there to take it down?