If you’ve had reason to be on U.S. 150 near the west side railroad tracks, you have seen the huge segments of windmills that are being erected in the Ellsworth area.
Perhaps you have seen the slow procession of each piece as it creeps down Veterans Parkway. Because each blade is much longer than a railroad car, it requires a lead car, a chase car and blinking lights to warn unsuspecting motorists that it is coming.
Too bad the residents of Carlock weren’t given that much warning.
Those of us in the shadow these monstrosities were not aware of the magnitude of the project or shown a map of the proposed 139 windmills until notified by concerned neighbors six weeks before the first zoning board meeting.
The team of lawyers working for Invenergy will gladly state that they have met the letter of the law in this regard. What about the spirit of the law? What about common decency and consideration for those directly involved?
Let me give you a little perspective as to the size of these towers.
Your house is probably two stories high. Watterson Towers is 28 stories high. The proposed wind turbines are 40 stories high!
Would you like that in your back yard? How would you feel if you lived in the shadow of those gigantic blades as they sliced up pie shaped pieces of your sunrises and sunsets day after day, year after year?
Yes, we need to explore alternative forms of energy, but not at the expense of established neighborhoods and communities.
Winnie Gent
Carlock
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/01/12/hard-to-fathom-size-of-wind-turbine-blades/