Residents of Hessel in attendance at the Clark Township Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, November 19, voiced a resounding "no" to the idea of a donated wind turbine to help mitigate energy costs at the Hessel Marina, but the windmill's propoment, Mike McMaken, said he would continue to work with the township to look at alternative energy sources that can save money.

At the meeting, the township also voted to purchase a new work truck, hired Rudy Sherlund to push back snowbanks at the Hessel airport, and changed winter meeting times to from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Mr. McMaken, owner of McMaken carpentry in Cedarville and its recently created subsidiary, Green Energy Solutions, offered the township a vertical axis Windspire unit, similar to those along I-75 at Sea Shell City west of Cheboygan.

Mr. McMaken encouraged the township to take advantage of this opportunity, since, he said, many grants are now available for municipalities to improve marinas already making use of "green" types of energy.

"It's an opportunity for you to get your foot in the door for something that is a renewable energy source for that dock," he said. "Is it going to make a ton of power? No, it's not. That is not the purpose; it's to offer that open door for grant money that is going to better that marina."

The originally proposed location for the wind turbine was a grassy area halfway between the gazebo and the main marina building, Mr. McMaken said. The unit could be expected to provide $200 to $400 in energy savings each year in that location, he said, and would cost the township between $1,200 and $1,500 to hook up to the electrical grid. The cost of the wind turbine and installation, which Mr. McMaken offered to donate, would range from $10,000 to $12,000, he said.

Residents at the meeting spoke out against the proposal, saying the wind turbine could threaten the safety of marina users, may involve maintenance costs to taxpayers, would not save much energy, would not fit the aesthetics of the area, and could threaten community events held near the marina.

Chuck Neal, whose property is adjacent to the marina, raised questions about the low level of savings the turbine may provide, the questionable safety and feasibility of putting such a unit in a densely used public area, and expressed concern about how well the technology has been tested.

"I don't think we've got the horse and the cart in the right place," Mr. Neal said. "We need to get more information before we make a decision."

Along with other area residents, he said he had visited identical units near Sea Shell City and was concerned about how low to the ground the moving parts are. If the turbine is placed at the marina, he said, someone passing by with a fishing pole could easily get entangled in the rotors.

Mr. McMaken offered to install the wind turbine with a longer center pole, which he said would keep it out of reach of anyone's fishing gear.

Jack Otstot, a resident of Cedar Street near the marina, raised questions about the noise and aesthetics of adding such a structure to the marina, and also said it could reduce community space in an already-cramped public area.

"Space is at a premium down there," Mr. Otstot said. "I think it's great that he is donating the wind turbine, but maybe that isn't where it should go." Mr. Otstot went on to suggest that Mr. McMaken and the township consider placing the wind turbine instead near Cedarville's waterfront.

He also asked the township board of trustees why an ordinance to regulate the construction of wind turbines has not yet been addressed.

Township Clerk Mike Miller said the creation of a wind energy ordinance is in the township's master plan, but has not yet been addressed by either the planning commission or the board of trustees.

Cedarville resident Linda Hudson, also in attendance Thursday night, voiced her opposition to placing the wind turbine on Cedarville's waterfront.

"I don't see why it needs to be put out there in everybody's faces," Mrs. Hudson said. "I'm not against wind energy, I just wouldn't want it there."

Other residents at the meeting asked what the cost to taxpayers would be and questioned if the payback the wind turbine would supply would be worth it.

After the cost of hooking the turbine up to the electric grid, estimated by Mr. McMaken at between $1,200 and $1,500, Green Energy Solutions would provide maintenance for one year, and the township would be responsible after that. The turbine itself has a five-year warranty, Mr. McMaken said, and blades typically don't need to be replaced for 20 years.

"These wind turbines are pretty much maintenance-free," he said. They could continue to operate in the off-season, as well, providing the township with an energy credit for whatever electricity is generated and plugged back into the grid.

The Windspire unit is manufactured in Manistee by Mariah Power, Mr. McMaken said, and supporting that local industry is another good reason to find a good place for the wind turbine.

"It's just a neat thing; something to help promote jobs in the state and use something that is built in Michigan," he said. "I thought it was an easy way to show some support for it. We want to do these types of things for our community. It shows your community can sustain itself and shows we are a healthy community that is doing these kind of projects."

Mr. McMaken said he would continue to work with the township to find a location for the wind turbine, and would also discuss the donation of solar-powered electricity and water-heating systems for Hessel Marina. His company is also looking into grant funding to provide other wind-power systems to the township hall and sewer lagoons.

"They have a really high electric bill up there," Mr. McMaken said of the sewer lagoons. "Why not harness the wind up there to offset some of that power bill."

Using alternative energy to mitigate the township's electrical costs would also put them on the top of the list for federal and state money coming in meant to encourage just such development, he said.

New Work Truck

Trustees approved the purchase of a 2010 Ford one-ton work truck for $26,975 and voted to amend the budget to pay for it from the general fund before the end of the year. The truck will be used to plow and service all township projects except for the sewer plant, which has its own funding source.

It is being purchased from Mackinac Sales in St. Ignace and will join three other trucks, one that is three years old, one four years old, and one eight years old. To minimize its use, this oldest truck will now be used only as a sand-spreader in the winter.

Airport Plowing

Rudy Sherlund was awarded the bid for pushing back large snowbanks at the township airport. The company bid $80 per hour for work with a loader and $90 per hour for work with a plow.

A second company made similarly priced bids, but was declined by trustees because of a lack of liability insurance.

Township Treasurer Katie Carpenter pointed out that the township has never paid for plowing by the hour before, and warned there is a possibility it could cost the township more.

Meetings Moved to 6 p.m.

On a 3-2 vote, the board of trustees decided to change its monthly meeting time from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. for the months of December through March. Dissenting votes were cast by Mr. Miller and Mrs. Carpenter, who cited personal conflicts as reasons the earlier time did not work as well. Meetings will return to 7 p.m. for the board's first meeting in April.

Clark Township Board of Trustees meetings are on the third Thursday of each month at Clark Township Hall. These meetings are open to the public. The next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, December 17.