French Creek Family YMCA in Avon to be powered in part by wind turbines

Reprinted from FOX 8 News; video from FOX 8 news
By Jack Shea, Staff Writer, Fox 8 News
5:31 PM EDT, July 15, 2010

AVON, Ohio -- Greater Cleveland is being transformed into a major player in the manufacturing of wind turbine components, riding a green wave slowly sweeping across America.
David Mallie, vice-president of Pearl Wind LLC, says, "A lot of people don't realize that although we may have lost some of the manufacturing or many manufacturers of different industries, they have chameleoned themselves into accepting new industry."

Pearl Road Auto Parts is one of the first local companies to embrace wind power, investing $85,000 in a turbine, with the rest of the $350,000 price tag covered by grant and stimulus funding from the state and federal government.

Mallie says the company "will realize an approximate 75 percent savings on their electric bill compared to what we have been paying in years past compared to what we will be paying moving forward."

The savings generated by the technology is so intriguing to officials in Avon that they decided to try and harness that power to supply energy to two important developments in the city.

The Avon plan calls for the installation of two wind turbines at All Pro-Freight Stadium, home of the Lake Erie Crushers minor league baseball team and the neighboring YMCA.

Avon Mayor Jim Smith says, "This area here, engineering wise, has a very high volume of wind and over a long period of time and we feel that with the state and federal grants, we can get to the point where we can actually save some money."

The Crushers know all about the power of the wind in Avon. General Manager Ryan Gates says, "Well, when it's blowing out the ballplayers like the wind, you know it creates more home runs. It's that proximity to the lake that lends itself to this being a great area for the turbines."

The two turbines would cost the city about $1.1 million, but the mayor says the technology will pay for itself in less than eight years, by cutting the cost of electricity.