Hanover Park may OK smaller wind turbine

Hanover Park insiders won't soon forget the political strife over talk of erecting a 300-foot, 100-ton wind turbine within village limits.

But a different administration and scaled-back version could prove a more promising combination for Keeneyville Elementary District 20, where officials have been pushing for the tower since 2007.

Earlier this month, the Hanover Park development commission unanimously recommended approval of a proposed text amendment to the zoning code that would allow for a 155-foot-tall wind turbine.

"Before it would have been the tallest object in DuPage County," Chairman Jeffrey Bakes said. "They're not going into the wind energy business anymore. This is a lot more reasonable."

The village board will consider the measure at its Thursday, March 4, meeting.

One of the changes is reducing the required setback from 1,000 feet to 500 feet. The turbine has to be located on a 15-acre site free of other structures, and the commission is recommending it only operate during school hours.

Both conditions work for District 20 Director of Operations Gary Ofisher, who's been leading the charge to build a wind turbine at Greenbrook Elementary School. The smaller structure would cost about $400,000 vs. more than $1 million before. But it will only provide 60 percent of Greenbrook's electricity instead of fully powering all three district schools.

"Beggars can't be choosers," Ofisher said. "We're still committed to renewable energy and educating our students, and this seems more realistic."

Should trustees approve the text amendment, Ofisher said a 50-foot-tall meteorological testing tower will be built soon. Bird and wind studies have to be conducted. To fund the project, he's applying for a renewable energy grant through the federal stimulus package and issuing bonds.

Regardless of the outcome, district officials still plan on moving forward with Carpentersville-based Community Unit District 300 and Prospect Heights Elementary District 23 to build a 20-megawatt wind farm in Stark County, about 140 miles southwest of Chicago, to offset energy costs.