Wind Turbine Already Increasing Mount Pleasant's Visibility

A week after arriving in Mount Pleasant, one of the wind turbines for the SC Johnson Waxdale plant stands tall over the village.

The sight has caused a few concerned calls to Mount Pleasant Village Hall.

“There has been quite an interest from the public, as far as what’s going on,” Community Development Director Logan Martin said at last night's Village Board meeting.

With the tower just shy of 300 feet and the blades reaching 134 feet above that, the turbine is already increasing the visibility of the village.

“There are definitely people against them and people for them but you can’t say that it's not making a statement one way or another. It definitely ... gives us a skyline, from the interstate, from the lake and even south from Milwaukee,” Martin said.

Once the installers have verified that everything’s working properly on the north tower, they will relocate the crane to begin construction on the south turbine, which will be identical.

When completed, the pair of turbines is expected to generate 15 percent of the Waxdale plant's electricity needs. The company's goal is to eventually get all of Waxdale's energy from sources produced onsite, with a full 60 percent coming from renewable sources.

“It is something new to the skyline of Mount Pleasant and I think it’s a beautiful addition,” Village Board Trustee John Hewitt said.

“It will create a lot of interest.”

SC Johnson is using the German-designed Vensys 82 system for the turbines, according to information from the village. The hub and electrical components were manufactured and shipped from Germany. The blades were manufactured in Grand Forks, ND, and the tower manufactured by SMI in Porter, MN.

Mount Pleasant trustees last December approved the turbines with a 6-1 vote.