There will be a ground breaking ceremony at the site of the first school owned utility scale wind turbine project in Illinois on Sunday, October 3rd 2004. The ceremony will occur at 2:00pm and is open to the public. Details on the project:

http://www.bcrnews.com/articles/2004/06/22/news/news1.txt

Please feel free to come by to show your support for this project!

Need directions? The High School's address is:

9154 2125 N. Avenue
Manlius, IL 61338

Here's a link to the school's web page:

http://www.bhsroe.k12.il.us/bureauvalley/bvhs/

Warren, I hear that Bureau County has a pretty good set of wind ordinances. Can you get me a copy?

Joe -

I will work to get an electronic copy of the most recent version and will keep you updated on my progress.

A quick followup on Bureau Valley High School groundbreaking. The ceremony went great and at one point we even had a state senator holding the leg of the portable awning to keep it from getting blown away by the wind!

Attached is a copy of the proceedings, courtesy of Laura Nelson. Keep checking back - I am told there is a new webcam coming online that will be monitoring the construction progress. Once it is up and running, we will post a link.

BVHS_Wind_Program.pdf (271 Kb, 482 downloads) Groundbreaking Leaflet

Schools May Begin Using Wind Energy - Bureau Valley High School Will Become the First in Illinois Next Month

Peoria Journal Star
BRANDON COUTRE
12/6/2004 9:31:00 AM

MANLIUS - When a 270-foot-tall wind turbine begins powering Bureau Valley High School next month, the district will be the first in the state to harness wind energy; but it may not be alone for long.

Superintendent Rick Stoecker said numerous other school districts already have asked Bureau Valley how the school started its wind project.

"I don't have the time to name all of them - Galva, Seneca Abingdon, ICC . . . We've had lots and lots of calls," Stoecker said.

Construction of the school's 660-kilowatt turbine took about a month and a half. All that is left is for Illinois Power to commission the turbine online, which should happen by the first of the year.

Rising energy costs prompted the district to explore the possibility of a wind turbine 2 years ago. The turbine will save the district about $100,000 per year in energy costs.

Several grants helped pay for the $1-million project. They included a $331,000 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation and a $150,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

The School Board is studying financing plans of varying lengths to pay the remaining costs. The board could decide to pay the balance in full with existing money if interest rates spike. As they sit now, it is expected the school will make $50,000 payments against the loan for about 10 years.

Stoecker said the district is proud to be first in the state to utilize wind energy. He said the community has embraced the project.

"We could have put bleachers out there" during construction, he said. "Lots of people were watching."

With so many other districts looking to cut costs around the state, Bureau Valley will create an exhibit and presentation that will be touted at state school board conventions, he said.

District officials also hope to use the turbine as an educational tool. Stoecker said teachers have been discussing how to incorporate the wind turbine into curriculum for math and science classes.

Several other schools in the state are studying the viability of their own wind turbine. On Wednesday, a science class from Abingdon visited Bureau Valley to learn more about the project.

Last year, the Abingdon school district received a $1,800 grant for a feasibility study. A weather station will collect data there for 18 months to determine if the site is suitable for wind energy.

(C) 2004 Peoria Journal Star. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved