TORRINGTON - Will Torrington soon be the home a 199-foot wind turbine? The city may know as early as next week.

The Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to vote Wednesday on granting a permit to Optiwind for construction of a mid-sized wind turbine at 725 Klug Hill Road. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Sullivan Senior Center, 88 East Albert St.

A required public hearing on the proposal was held two weeks ago, in which a packed room of city residents gave their input to the project. The response was largely positive, and many of those who spoke were neighbors of the proposed site.

From the closing of the hearing, the commission has 65 days to make a decision on granting a permit, Chairman Richard Calkins said. Calkins said he is not certain whether that decision will be made next week, or whether the commissioners would instead choose to wait to review the data and public feedback further.

"(The vote) is certainly possible," the chairman said.

Calkins declined to comment on how the commission feels about the proposal at this time.

The site for the wind turbine would be on the property of George "Butch" Klug, a dairy farmer who owns several acres on Klug Hill Road. During the public hearing, Klug said his farm has been in financial hardships, particularly from energy costs.

Having a wind turbine power the electricity would ease up on those costs, Klug said.

Optiwind, which began in 2007, is a venture capital company established in a section of the former Torrington Company. David Hurwitt, vice president, and Russ Marvin, president, have consistently stated their goal to bring more jobs to the city and to allow for growth as Optiwind conducts business with local vendors.