As wind project nears completion, ribbon-cutting date is set

The view from turbine 2. Suzanne Pude

As work on the Fox Islands Wind Project wraps up, the date for the ribbon-cutting ceremony has been announced.

The ceremony is scheduled on Tuesday, November 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the site on Vinalhaven, and the public is invited. Following the ceremony, there will be a locally-catered lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Limited transportation will be provided from Vinalhaven's ferry terminal and North Landing. Attendees are encouraged to car pool if possible. For more information, call 594-9209, ext. 144, or send an e-mail to fiwindpower@islandinstitute.org.

Wind project brings islanders, workers together

For some communities, the prospect of a $15 million summer-long project would fill residents with dread.

But the construction of three, 1.5-megawatt wind turbines on the north side of Vinalhaven was welcomed by island residents.

"What could have been a disruptive summer was instead a constant celebration," said George Baker, CEO of Fox Islands Wind LLC, the company that oversaw the construction of the wind project.

The three turbines, which are each 388-feet high at the tip of the blade, are scheduled to start producing power in November. It caps a nearly nine-year journey for ratepayers of the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, Inc., which first began looking into wind power back in 2001.

Chad Allen, project manager for Cianbro, the wind project's general contractor, said what his company has done this summer was "eye candy. We have only been on this project for four months," Allen said. "Do you realize how many hours of heart, soul, sweat and tears went into this project from so many people?"

It has been a summer of anticipation for North Haven and Vinalhaven residents, who eagerly greeted each sign of progress.

In the June, road signs were put up, power lines moved and a tree cutter arrived and land clearing at the site began.

Traffic began to increase on the North Haven Road, with residents driving slowly by the site to get a glimpse of work. The Cianbro crew even received baked goods delivered to the site from islanders.

In anticipation of the first barge loads of turbine components, Cianbro notified the Vinalhaven lobstermen in late July that their gear would need to be removed from the shipping channel that stretched between The Reach and the Vinalhaven town wharf. Within days, the traps had been cleared-along with some boats.

Islanders were ready when the first load of turbine blades arrived on the island on August 12, thanks to updates to the project message boards and an e-mail that was sent to many local residents. A crowd began to gather mid-afternoon, as crews from Cianbro, Prock Marine and Anderson Trucking Service of Minnesota worked to offload the trucks carrying the four, 123-foot-long blades. When the ATS truck driver pulled off of the town wharf, he was met by the cheers of a crowd of about 100. "No one has ever cheered for me before," said the driver, who transports the components across the country.

That spirit impressed Allen. "I have never had the opportunity to work on a project that was so strongly supported by the community," Allen said. "It really makes a project fun."

Allen said the community accepted Cianbro workers with open arms. "We have made a lot of great friends out here, that I think will last beyond the project." About 24 Cianbro workers lived on the island during the project.

Trading cars

That support was shown, for example, on the morning of August 17, an axel of a trailer carrying a tower section went off the road at a narrow turn on the North Haven Road. Traffic was stopped for almost three hours as the Cianbro crew worked to get the truck back on the road, blocking the islands only north-south road. To get to their destinations, islanders traded cars with drivers on the other side of the truck. Cianbo crew members stepped in to help by carrying groceries around the stuck truck, ensuring that ice cream would get home from the store before it melted. Allen even helped to deliver mail to the post office and one woman to a doctor's appointment. Drivers were updated at the scene, and several updates were made to the Wind Power Hotline and the local e-mail list. A resident of Calderwood Neck on Vinalhaven responded to one of the emails with the following report: "While giving the necessary serious consideration to their predicament [the Cianbro crew was] ever mindful and considerate of our needs. One Cianbro van even drove someone all the way to her door!" Another local resident opened her home so that the crew could use her bathroom, and told a friend that it was nice to have the company and commented on how nice the crew was.

Addison Ames, a co-op board member, lobsterman and longstanding supporter of wind power, said "my hat is off to Cianbro," for all the work they have done. He noticed that island lobsterman and the Cianbro workers have something in common. "Our hours are pretty much identical-they also get up before dawn and go to bed when the sun goes down," Ames said. Workers and lobstermen got to know each other at the island restaurants that are open early, and updates on the wind project became a feature on fishermen's radios in the morning. "It was a good rapport," Ames said.

To let islanders know when large tractor-trailers would be traveling on the road, Cianbro installed project message boards at the town wharf and at the project site. When the board announced the last load of turbine components at the end of September, a passer-by wrote this message on the board: "GOOD LUCK!"

Once school was back in session, Meg Lyons from the Vinalhaven High School contacted Fox Islands Wind CEO George Baker about student visits. Baker was initially concerned about disrupting work at a time when the Cianbro crew was working around-the-clock to install the final turbine components. But Chad Allen felt strongly that if the activity on the site inspired even one student to be excited about engineering or a career in wind power, it would be worth it. Within 48 hours, Lyons and a group of 48 students were on the site, learning about how the project relates to their science lessons.

Allen said there were countless examples of island kindness. At one rental cabin, the owner made a lobster dinner for workers. Another offered to do the workers' laundry.

"I am honored that islanders have accepted us so well," said Allen. "This is the most enjoyable project I have ever worked on."

Suzanne Pude is the director of the Island Institute's Maine Coast Community Wind Program.