Spanish Fork OKs 11 windmills

SPANISH FORK — Kip Rasmussen says he didn't move to a neighborhood near Spanish Fork Canyon to have windmills in his view.

Yet that's what he'll see from his back yard when 11 power-generating windmills are built in Utah County's first wind park.

The Spanish Fork City Council decided Tuesday to allow the windmills in industrial zones.

The change to zoning laws allowing the turbines to built at two sites didn't come without some complaints.

Robert Ward retired after living 30 years in California. After retiring, he said, he could have lived anywhere but chose Spanish Fork Canyon for its natural beauty.

Ward didn't plan on windmills marring his view, however.

"Some things we hold in trust," Ward complained. "The beauty of the mountains is one of them."

Ward questioned the effects on the city if the company that builds the windmills had financial problems or if there were accidents with the turbines.

"I doubt it'll be the landowner (taking care of the problem)," he said. "I doubt it'll be the company. I bet it'll be the taxpayers."

Each 1.5-megawatt turbine is expected to produce enough electricity to power 600 homes. The estimated cost of the project is $13 million.

The canyon has the richest source of wind in Utah, landowner Perry Francin said.

Other residents favored the 11 Wasatch Wind windmills.

"There's no reason why we couldn't allow them," resident Diana Butler said. "There's no negative impact."

The city will benefit from property taxes generated from the wind farm, developer Tracy Livingston said.

Livingston also said the blades will be silent.

"You'll hear the wind, but you won't hear the tower," Councilman Matthew Barber said.

That brought guffaws from Ward, who said California turbines make a whirring noise.

Seven of the turbines will go up near distribution plant, while the other four will be built near an abandoned gravel pit north of U.S. 6 at 3400 East.

Electricity generated from the canyon winds will go into the Utah power grid.