Construction on a 199-foot wind turbine on the Klug Hill Farm property is set to begin within the next two weeks, said property owner George "Butch" Klug. ...residents had opposed its construction on grounds it would be noisy and unsightly.
Construction on a 199-foot wind turbine on the Klug Hill Farm property is set to begin within the next two weeks, said property owner George "Butch" Klug. ...residents had opposed its construction on grounds it would be noisy and unsightly.
TORRINGTON - Construction on a 199-foot wind turbine on the Klug Hill Farm property is set to begin within the next two weeks, said property owner George "Butch" Klug.
Reached at his 167-acre farm early Sunday evening, Klug said workers from Optiwind, the Torrington-based company building the turbine, recently finished three weeks of work on a foundation for the structure.
He said he was told that they will return over the next two weeks to start the construction phase of the project.
Klug said he could not be sure of how long the construction might take, but Optiwind representatives have said it is expected to be in operation by the end of the year.
The path for the turbine was all but cleared by a June 24 Planning and Zoning …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]TORRINGTON - Construction on a 199-foot wind turbine on the Klug Hill Farm property is set to begin within the next two weeks, said property owner George "Butch" Klug.
Reached at his 167-acre farm early Sunday evening, Klug said workers from Optiwind, the Torrington-based company building the turbine, recently finished three weeks of work on a foundation for the structure.
He said he was told that they will return over the next two weeks to start the construction phase of the project.
Klug said he could not be sure of how long the construction might take, but Optiwind representatives have said it is expected to be in operation by the end of the year.
The path for the turbine was all but cleared by a June 24 Planning and Zoning Commission decision to grant the company a special exception to height regulations in the area, which is in the Western end of town near the Goshen line off of Route 4.
A meteorological tower was then set up to test wind conditions at the site.
Klug said that a portion of the work had been "done for a while."
The only step left at that point was for a building permit to be obtained, which has since been cleared.
Optiwind Vice President David Hurwitt was away on vacation Sunday, and founder and CEO Russell Marvin did not immediately return a message left for him Sunday evening.
Once constructed, the turbine is expected to provide enough electric power to run Klug's dairy farm and then some, which may be sold back to the area's power grid.
A minority of residents had opposed its construction on grounds it would be noisy and unsightly, but the Planning and Zoning Commission ruled in favor of Optiwind for its potential to create jobs and cut energy costs.