Middletown council asked to look into wind turbines for energy
Newport Daily News|Matt Sheley|March 4, 2006
Middletown could be getting into the wind turbine business.
Middletown could be getting into the wind turbine business.
In a letter to the Town Council, Planning Board member John M. Tucker suggested the town explore locating such facilities on municipal properties to help offset rising energy costs.
Late this week, Tucker said he did not have a particular site in mind, but asked that the issue be researched.
The matter is one of several before the council, which meets Monday at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.
"Hearing about it quite a bit in the news and following different projects across the country and right in our backyard in Portsmouth, it seems to make sense to look into," Tucker said. "If you look at the town crest, it has a windmill on it."
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, wind energy is the fastest growing energy-related technology in the world.
W…
In a letter to the Town Council, Planning Board member John M. Tucker suggested the town explore locating such facilities on municipal properties to help offset rising energy costs.
Late this week, Tucker said he did not have a particular site in mind, but asked that the issue be researched.
The matter is one of several before the council, which meets Monday at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.
"Hearing about it quite a bit in the news and following different projects across the country and right in our backyard in Portsmouth, it seems to make sense to look into," Tucker said. "If you look at the town crest, it has a windmill on it."
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, wind energy is the fastest growing energy-related technology in the world.
With facilities located across the country, turbines harness the power of the wind to create natural energy.
"If you look at the bills for the town and schools, the cost of energy is one of the ones we can do something about," Tucker said.
"Everyone's always talking about different ideas to make things better, and this one seemed like a good one to me."
Town Administrator Gerald S. Kempen said, generally speaking, he's a big fan of the wind power concept.
"It's clearly a renewable energy source with no detriment to the environment," Kempen said. "The biggest issue most people usually have with it is the visual impact."
ON THE AGENDA
MIDDLETOWN TOWN COUNCIL
When: Monday at 7 p.m.
Where: Town Hall, 350 East Main Road.
Other agenda items: A request from Middletown Republican Town Committee Chairman Saverio De Ruggiero to put a proposed amendment to the Town Charter on the November 2006 ballot to make council elections nonpartisan; a proposal about augmenting the town's inflow and infiltration reduction sewer program; discussion about drainage issues on Wapping Road.