(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson County Board of Adjustment Monday evening approved variances for some wind monitoring towers in the western part of the county. Clipper Wind Energy constructed the towers already last winter. Company official Eli Bosco admitted they were coming to the board after-the-fact and offered an apology. Bosco said the company put up the four 164 foot towers in Diamond Lake, Lakeville and Excelsior townships after being misinformed at a Board of Supervisors meeting a year ago that no permits were needed. Bosco says the company found out otherwise after getting a letter from Zoning Administrator David Kolhaase.
The variances that were approved allow the towers to be in place two years as long as the company remains under the ownership of Clipper.
Bosco said the monitoring towers play a crucial role in Clipper Wind Energy’s plans to establish a wind farm in western Dickinson county.
Clipper Wind Energy has been awarded a request for proposal from Alliant Energy to provide the utility with 43 megawatts of wind-generated electricity…enough to power 14,500 homes. The company plans to build a wind farm consisting of 29 1.5 megawatt turbines. They would be similar to the newest one installed by the Spirit Lake School District.
When told about the possibility of an airport being built in the area of the proposed wind farm, Bosco said Clipper would work closely with local officials. David Stein, Milford’s City Attorney who’s been active on the airport issue, told the Board of Adjustment identifying a potential site will be the next step of a feasibility study if Milford and Spirit Lake officials decide to actually take the study to the next step.
