Board explores windmill energy

BY JIM BUTTS SVN REPORTER jbutts@svnmail.com STERLING - The Park District is examining alternative forms of energy to help power several of its facilities, Executive Director Larry Schuldt said Monday. District staff is preparing an Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation grant application, in hopes of funding a study on using wind energy to power the Westwood Sports Expo Complex, Schuldt said. The private foundation, established in 1999 with a $225 million donation from ComEd, invests in clean energy projects across the state. A grant would help pay a consultant $20,000 to $30,000 to measure the wind at Westwood, to see if installing a windmill or windmills would be feasible. "Wind power at Westwood makes a lot of sense," Schuldt said. District staff also is looking into installing geothermal energy at the Dillon Home Museum, Schuldt said. A geothermal energy system, which uses the natural heat of the earth to warm and cool buildings, recently was installed at the Woodlawn Arts Academy and has so far proven "extremely successful and cost-effective," Schuldt said. The district is also working with a historian to make sure any changes to the home would not affect its historical value, he added.