Tower ready to rise as test of wind power
CHARLTON— A 164-foot tower will be added to the town’s landscape this week to study the feasibility of a wind turbine on the hilltop campus of Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High.
At a meeting of the Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School Committee Monday, Bay Path Superintendent-Director David P. Papagni said the temporary tower will arrive with unanticipated expenses.
“The wind turbine study is under way; however, we have already encountered a few unforeseen expenses such as the installation of a fence around the soon to be installed MET tower,” Mr. Papagni reported.
Security fencing around the tower’s base was added by the Charlton Planning Board during the project’s site plan review in August. To cover this and any other unforeseen expenses, the committee authorized $10,000 from the stabilization account.
In February, the committee awarded an $80,000 contract to Sustainable Energy Developments Inc. to conduct the feasibility study as a first step toward generating renewable energy to help power the school. A $40,000 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative is funding half of the study, with the balance from the school district’s budget.
The 6-inch-diameter tower will be installed this week in a practice field on the east side of the school to collect a year’s worth of wind data.
In other business Monday, the committee accepted the fiscal 2008 audit presented by C. Gregory Winters of Thomas J. Scanlon CPA of South Deerfield.
Mr. Winters said the audit identified an operating budget surplus of $91,000 and $716,931 in reserves.
While commending the work of the school’s financial team, he said, “The last two findings we had a year ago were both rectified. The school got a good report card this year.”
Going beyond the everyday rigors of education is how Mr. Papagni described the effort of science teacher Mike Savage, who recently inspired nearly 100 students to register to vote.
“Mr. Savage has been the assistant registrar of voters for the town of Auburn for the past 18 years and has always talked to our students about the value of being able to vote,” Mr. Papagni reported.
Paulette A. Desorcy joined the committee Monday as its second representative from Southbridge. Ms. Desorcy was appointed by the Southbridge Town Council to serve until June, thereby finishing the term of member Lazaraq L. Petro, who recently resigned for health reasons.
The Bay Path school district is comprised of the towns of Auburn, Charlton, Dudley, North Brookfield, Oxford, Paxton, Rutland, Southbridge, Spencer and Webster.
By Debbie LaPlaca
Correspondent
8 October 2008
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