CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cuyahoga County commissioners today rejected proposals to build a wind turbine at the county fairgrounds because the estimates were too expensive.

Instead, the commissioners voted to seek proposals for a used, rebuilt turbine, similar to the refurbished machine at the Great Lakes Science Center.

A used machine is expected to cost about half the price of a new one, according to the county.

The plan is to erect a 600-kilowatt turbine, a nearly 200-foot tower and an energy education building at the fairgrounds using $1.3 million in federal stimulus money. The turbine would save the fair about 70 percent of its electricity costs.

Middleburg Heights approved a zoning variance for the tower height last year but it expired, according to the Middleburg Heights Boards and Commissions office. The county reapplied, but then withdrew the application.