Tommy 17
12-08-2004, 03:46 PM
Well there is this new atv park opening up in PA in 2005 or 2006... its supposed to be the next h.m. if not better... i've rode there twice now and the place is awesome... i actually think its better then the trails at h.m....
anyways now i guess they want to put in windmills... this will restrict the area we ride... cost more money to ride there (to help pay for them)... it will also push the openin of the park way back... i hear 2007 or 2008 (word around town) instead of 05 or 06...
the whole point was for us to have our OWN place to ride that we paid for with grants and our registration money... the place was supposed to be a senic place now we get to look at 200 windmills that are gonna be over 200ft tall:grr:
anyone else think they shouldn't be puttin these there... its gonna take up so much room of the park its unreal... seems like pennsylvania could screw up a wetdream...
heres the article...
By MIKE FAHER
THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT
PATTON - A massive wind farm hailed as a model for national development - and with a price tag possibly approaching $400 million - is headed for a recreational park in Cambria County.
A Butler County company plans to build 60 to 200 turbines at Rock Run Recreational Area, a project that would dwarf wind facilities in Somerset County and may become Pennsylvania's largest.
Executives plan a press conference Monday to announce the deal. But those close to the project disclosed Tuesday that spinning windmills will share space with an all-terrain vehicle track at the former strip mine in Chest Township.
"It's basically a brown property that's going to turn green," said Phil Herbert, Freedom Wind Energy LLC managing director. "We're turning an environmental hazard into an environmental plus."
In March, Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority bought about 6,000 acres formerly owned by a coal company. Officials have said their main goal is to create an ATV park, which could open next year.
But some also say there's plenty of space in the remote park for windmills. Freedom Wind and county officials confirmed they had struck a deal, the terms of which were not released.
"It's using renewable energy," Dee Columbus, Conservation and Recreation Authority director, said in a telephone interview. "It's using the wind, and it's providing an energy source that's not using fossil fuels and finite resources."
Somerset County already has three wind farms. But those sites total only 34 turbines.
Freedom Energy's project could span multiple ridges, though Herbert guarantees that the towers would not affect ATV riders.
"We obviously have to situate this with the ATV park," Herbert said. "We have to really work around that."
Before building turbines, developers in any wind project must obtain all necessary permits, find a power buyer and also extensively survey wind speeds at a proposed site.
Herbert's company still must conduct those studies, so he said it's not clear how many windmills Freedom Wind Energy will erect. And there are other variables, including the availability of public and private financing.
But Herbert is predicting that, if all goes well, the site could sustain hundreds of turbines producing up to 400 megawatts of electricity.
Based on rough estimates from previous wind projects in the area, that's enough juice to power 200,000 homes.
"This is going to make a statement to everybody in the energy world," Herbert said.
He added that the windmills could begin turning within two years, though the project may take longer to come to fruition.
Being a Pennsylvania-based company may have helped Freedom Wind's chances in landing the Rock Run project. Herbert praised state officials for their promotion of alternative energy, and he said conservation and recreation authority leaders have worked well with Freedom Wind.
The young company has not yet put a turbine in the ground. Herbert said Freedom Wind is developing other projects, including one in upstate New York and possibly another wind farm near Rock Run.
Herbert said he could not provide details on that initiative.
Freedom Wind ran into controversy earlier this year after administrators proposed a wind farm at King's Mountain in southwestern Somerset County.
Residents there rebelled and eventually sued. Herbert said his company has pledged not to plant turbines in that part of Somerset County, though it still may build nearby in Fayette County.
Officials maintain that Cambria County's proposal is much different, especially given the scarcity of nearby residential development.
"It's so rural up there that it's an ideal location," said Ron Budash, Cambria County Industrial Development Corp. director.
Budash praised the Rock Run project. While windmills do not directly create permanent jobs and produce relatively little tax revenue, he said they raise the area's profile and may attract energy-related businesses.
Budash pointed to cogeneration plants in Ebensburg, a new power plant in Seward and Somerset County's wind farms as major assets.
"It establishes an identity," he said. "Now we become a multifaceted power-generation area."
In fact, Rock Run already may have helped promote the area's economic fortunes.
Herbert said Spanish turbine manufacturer Gamesa Corp., which has considered building a plant in the Johnstown area, has had discussions with Freedom Wind Energy.
"They're interested in a possible relationship with us," Herbert said.
anyways now i guess they want to put in windmills... this will restrict the area we ride... cost more money to ride there (to help pay for them)... it will also push the openin of the park way back... i hear 2007 or 2008 (word around town) instead of 05 or 06...
the whole point was for us to have our OWN place to ride that we paid for with grants and our registration money... the place was supposed to be a senic place now we get to look at 200 windmills that are gonna be over 200ft tall:grr:
anyone else think they shouldn't be puttin these there... its gonna take up so much room of the park its unreal... seems like pennsylvania could screw up a wetdream...
heres the article...
By MIKE FAHER
THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT
PATTON - A massive wind farm hailed as a model for national development - and with a price tag possibly approaching $400 million - is headed for a recreational park in Cambria County.
A Butler County company plans to build 60 to 200 turbines at Rock Run Recreational Area, a project that would dwarf wind facilities in Somerset County and may become Pennsylvania's largest.
Executives plan a press conference Monday to announce the deal. But those close to the project disclosed Tuesday that spinning windmills will share space with an all-terrain vehicle track at the former strip mine in Chest Township.
"It's basically a brown property that's going to turn green," said Phil Herbert, Freedom Wind Energy LLC managing director. "We're turning an environmental hazard into an environmental plus."
In March, Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority bought about 6,000 acres formerly owned by a coal company. Officials have said their main goal is to create an ATV park, which could open next year.
But some also say there's plenty of space in the remote park for windmills. Freedom Wind and county officials confirmed they had struck a deal, the terms of which were not released.
"It's using renewable energy," Dee Columbus, Conservation and Recreation Authority director, said in a telephone interview. "It's using the wind, and it's providing an energy source that's not using fossil fuels and finite resources."
Somerset County already has three wind farms. But those sites total only 34 turbines.
Freedom Energy's project could span multiple ridges, though Herbert guarantees that the towers would not affect ATV riders.
"We obviously have to situate this with the ATV park," Herbert said. "We have to really work around that."
Before building turbines, developers in any wind project must obtain all necessary permits, find a power buyer and also extensively survey wind speeds at a proposed site.
Herbert's company still must conduct those studies, so he said it's not clear how many windmills Freedom Wind Energy will erect. And there are other variables, including the availability of public and private financing.
But Herbert is predicting that, if all goes well, the site could sustain hundreds of turbines producing up to 400 megawatts of electricity.
Based on rough estimates from previous wind projects in the area, that's enough juice to power 200,000 homes.
"This is going to make a statement to everybody in the energy world," Herbert said.
He added that the windmills could begin turning within two years, though the project may take longer to come to fruition.
Being a Pennsylvania-based company may have helped Freedom Wind's chances in landing the Rock Run project. Herbert praised state officials for their promotion of alternative energy, and he said conservation and recreation authority leaders have worked well with Freedom Wind.
The young company has not yet put a turbine in the ground. Herbert said Freedom Wind is developing other projects, including one in upstate New York and possibly another wind farm near Rock Run.
Herbert said he could not provide details on that initiative.
Freedom Wind ran into controversy earlier this year after administrators proposed a wind farm at King's Mountain in southwestern Somerset County.
Residents there rebelled and eventually sued. Herbert said his company has pledged not to plant turbines in that part of Somerset County, though it still may build nearby in Fayette County.
Officials maintain that Cambria County's proposal is much different, especially given the scarcity of nearby residential development.
"It's so rural up there that it's an ideal location," said Ron Budash, Cambria County Industrial Development Corp. director.
Budash praised the Rock Run project. While windmills do not directly create permanent jobs and produce relatively little tax revenue, he said they raise the area's profile and may attract energy-related businesses.
Budash pointed to cogeneration plants in Ebensburg, a new power plant in Seward and Somerset County's wind farms as major assets.
"It establishes an identity," he said. "Now we become a multifaceted power-generation area."
In fact, Rock Run already may have helped promote the area's economic fortunes.
Herbert said Spanish turbine manufacturer Gamesa Corp., which has considered building a plant in the Johnstown area, has had discussions with Freedom Wind Energy.
"They're interested in a possible relationship with us," Herbert said.