MSD of Warren Co. hopes to get turbine

WARREN COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - An area school district is hopeing to benefit from a wind farm in northern Tippecanoe County. The official announcement will be on September 7th.

Performance Services Vice President of marketing and sales Scott Zigmond said MSD of Warren County has already signed up to advertise to buy a turbine in the park.

Performance Services calls the 25 two megawatt wind turbine farm Performance Park.

 Zigmond said universities and school districts like MSD of Warren County will use a bond to buy a turbine and will then receive revenue from their turbine selling power to a utility company.

"The revenue that is received by the school from the utility company will be used to pay off the bond," Zigmond explained. "We expect the first year to be a positive cash flow for the school as well. This will generate anywhere between $6.5 million to $7.5 million of net revenue over a 25 year period."

He said two other school districts have advertised with Performance Park. Penn Harris Madison School Corporation in Mishawaka and Goshen Community Schools may be a part of Performance Park, Zigmond said.

The Tippecanoe School Corporation has met with Performance Services about Performance Park. In July, superintendent Scott Hanback said, should the school board decide to go forward with the wind turbine, it would hire a consultant to investigate costs and any questions the board has.

Zigmond said 15 to 20 other schools are looking into Performance Park and will make a decision in the next 60 to 90 days. He said Performance Services is still talking with major universities in Indiana, but none have committed yet.

Zigmond said turbines will be ordered by fall 2011 and then would be installed in the spring and summer of 2012. He expects the wind farm to be operational by the end of 2012.

Performance Park Wind Farm and Greater Lafayette Commerce will make the announcement for the wind farm at a farm on County Line Road in northern Tippecanoe County, where the turbines will eventually be constructed.