The Glenview Park District wants to use the wind to help power two of its facilities.

The park district is hoping to install massive wind turbines called Windspires at two of its buildings, Evelyn Pease Tyner Interpretive Center at Air Station Prairie and the new maintenance building at Community Park West, by mid-June.

“The Glenview Park District is committed to the environment and becoming as environmentally-friendly as possible,” said Judy Ksiazek, environmental education supervisor for the park district.

The Windspires are about 30 feet tall and begin generating power when wind speeds surpass 8 mph, according to information from Crystal Lake-based Building Energy Experts, the Midwest distributer and installer of the devices. WIndspire Energy, headquartered in Nevada, manufactures the devices in Michigan.

“They’re designed specifically for small commercial and residential use,” said Building Energy Experts president Anthony Stonis.

Ksiazek said the total cost of both Windspires is $17,640, about half of which will be covered by a grant through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Seonis said each device can generate about 2,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year and can reduce energy bills by about one-third. However, Ksiazek said she does not know how much the park district expects to save, but the return on investment is expected to be about nine years.

The village of Glenview’s Appearance Commission reviewed the proposals for both park district locations April 7, and found no issues with the Windspires’ appearance, said village planner Jill Ziegler.

Ziegler said that while the commission has reviewed other green amenities but never large wind turbines.

The Tyner Interpretive Center and the Community Park West building will be among the first facilities in the Chicago area to use the Windspires, Stonis said. He said the six installed at Devon Bank in Wheeling represent one of Building Energy Experts’ first jobs in the country.

“They’re not your typical wind turbines,” Ksiazek said, explaining that they are slower than the more familiar turbines seen on farms and are more visible to birds.

Ksiazek said the Windspire at the Tyner Interpretive Center would be accompanied by educational material on wind power, which will be in keeping with the park district’s goal for the facility to offer information about the environment and green initiatives.

By Jeff Danna
Triblocal.com reporter