The dismantling is expected to last through Monday and perhaps part of Tuesday, Porfido added. In a statement, a company spokesperson said the turbine was no longer operational despite considerable efforts to find replacement parts to keep it running. It had been essentially dormant since January after several neighboring houses and a city cemetery were sprayed with hydraulic fluid from the turbine.
The dismantling is expected to last through Monday and perhaps part of Tuesday, Porfido added. In a statement, a company spokesperson said the turbine was no longer operational despite considerable efforts to find replacement parts to keep it running. It had been essentially dormant since January after several neighboring houses and a city cemetery were sprayed with hydraulic fluid from the turbine.
NEWBURYPORT — The city’s skyline was dramatically altered Thursday morning when its only wind turbine, owned by Mark Richey of Mark Richey Woodworking, was dismantled.
With firefighters on hand, Baldwin Crane workers took apart the 292-foot-tall turbine that since 2009 had towered over Parker Street and could be seen for miles in every direction. As a precaution, nearby Route 1 was shut down for several minutes while it was taken down.
Workers from the same company that erected the turbine quickly pivoted toward cutting the massive metal structure with industrial saws into small pieces so they could be hauled away and recycled, according to Mark Richey Woodworking Chief Operating Officer Greg Porfido.
The dismantling is expected to last …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]NEWBURYPORT — The city’s skyline was dramatically altered Thursday morning when its only wind turbine, owned by Mark Richey of Mark Richey Woodworking, was dismantled.
With firefighters on hand, Baldwin Crane workers took apart the 292-foot-tall turbine that since 2009 had towered over Parker Street and could be seen for miles in every direction. As a precaution, nearby Route 1 was shut down for several minutes while it was taken down.
Workers from the same company that erected the turbine quickly pivoted toward cutting the massive metal structure with industrial saws into small pieces so they could be hauled away and recycled, according to Mark Richey Woodworking Chief Operating Officer Greg Porfido.
The dismantling is expected to last through Monday and perhaps part of Tuesday, Porfido added.
In a statement, a company spokesperson said the turbine was no longer operational despite considerable efforts to find replacement parts to keep it running.
It had been essentially dormant since January after several neighboring houses and a city cemetery were sprayed with hydraulic fluid from the turbine.
On Jan. 3, nearby condominium owners at 161 Route 1 reported an oily fluid on their homes, cars and driveways. The substance was also found on Hill Street homes, the Clipper City Rail Trail and on headstones in the city’s Highland Cemetery.
The company reported the incident to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, which later determined the turbine discharged 1.5 gallons of hydraulic fluid.
Richey said his company “remains committed to environmental stewardship and renewable energy” and plans to replace the power generated by the turbine with additional solar power as it continues to strive to be a net-zero company.
“We’re truly sad that to see the turbine come down as it has been part of our company and the community for a long time. It has generated tremendous clean power, and countless local schoolchildren have visited the turbine and learned about green energy,” Richey said.
At full capacity, the turbine generated 600 kilowatts of electricity per minute.
“Overall, the turbine was a success and we’re proud of it,” Porfido said, adding that officials knew the turbine had a finite lifespan.
The process of dismantling the wind turbine began in late September/early January when officials obtained the necessary permits from the city’s building department. But the company refrained from announcing the turbine’s demise due to safety concerns over spectators wanting to visit during its removal, Porfido said.
Newburyport Fire Chief Stephen Bradbury III said firefighters will remain at the site for “a couple days and then reevaluate” as workers continue to cut the turbine into pieces.
“We’re just there to observe to make sure nothing catches on fire,” Bradbury said.