Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – SAD 1 is exploring the possibility of powering some of its buildings with wind energy.
According to Superintendent Gehrig Johnson, the district has been researching alternative energy for the last six months. “We have what we think is a window of opportunity to explore the feasibility of wind power for electricity to power our schools,” he said. “Our electricity bill for SAD 1 – in the course of a year – approaches $400,000.
“While the price varies, it’s probably not going to get less expensive as time goes on,” said Johnson. “We’re very much dependent on power.”
The district recently discontinued its automotive program at the Presque Isle Regional Career and Technical Center and is looking for a suitable replacement.
“There was a lack of interest in the automotive program,” said Johnson, “so we have an open vocational programming slot and the rather large square footage that goes with that. We’ve been researching what might be an exciting, needed program for our students, and this might be a good fit.
“Northern Maine Community College has elected to put in a wind power maintenance program into its curriculum,” he said, “so it would be a natural for us to look to a high school program that would dovetail with NMCC’s program that would start the training in high school.”
A major factor for considering wind energy is the fact that SAD 1 owns considerable land throughout the city that could handle such a project.
“We own much more land than what our schools require,” said Johnson. “We have substantial acreage in Mapleton, substantial acreage hooked to the high school, substantial acreage on the school farm, and at the athletic complex. The land that we own is all high ground. The crests of some of the highest points in the city are owned by SAD 1 which is clearly one of the first components you have to have for wind power.”
Johnson said alternative energy is clearly the wave of the future.
“This is the cleanest power source out there,” he said, “and when you look at the state – Mars Hill, Stetson I, Stetson II, plus the commercial wind farms – it appears to be the future. We have also been in discussions with University of Maine at Presque Isle President Don Zillman who has the first commercial wind turbine going up in the city very soon. That’s been helpful to us, and we will continue to use Dr. Zillman as a resource.
“We think the timing needs to be right and you need to have the right components in place,” he said, “and we think we have many of those needed components to take a hard look at it.”
At the February school board meeting, Johnson made a presentation to directors, who voted unanimously to authorize a one-year feasibility study for up to four sites in the city at the superintendent’s discretion.
“We have hired Andrew Perkins of Perkins Engineering, Inc. of Orono as a consultant,” said Johnson. “He was the project engineer for the Mars Hill project, and is one of the preeminent wind power specialists in the state.
“He will handle the feasibility study for us and consult through the first phase of this,” he said. “The study will go on for the next year, and then the school board will need to look at what the report says and determine if it makes sense for us.”
Johnson said the study will cost $58,000 for the first site, and then $50,000 per site after that.
“The board authorized spending $208,000 on the study,” he said, noting that the money will not come out of the district’s budget. “We are anticipating substantial stimulus money to come to the district, plus increased Medicaid money, which is where the money will come from. Our plans are contingent upon federal funding being available.”
Informational meetings will be held both in Presque Isle and Mapleton next month.
“We will be involving the public, provide presentations and residents will have an opportunity to ask questions,” said Johnson, noting that the towers being looked at are one-third of the size as those on Mars Hill Mountain. “They would be about 100-feet tall.”
The cost savings to the district could be significant should the district pursue wind power.
“If we were to have a favorable feasibility study,” Johnson said, “and have the sustainable winds that we think we have, we estimate that we could cover 70 percent to 100 percent of our cost. It has the potential to recover a majority of all of our costs.”
