By Richard Kerns
rkerns@newstribune.info
Tribune Staff Writer

KEYSER — The developers of a proposed 23-turbine wind farm to be sited on Green Mountain just west of Keyser will hold their regular monthly community meeting Monday night at the Wind Lea Banquet and Conference Center in Keyser.
The meeting, which will begin at 6 p.m., will focus in part on plans for a community benefit fund that US WindForce plans to establish if the Pinnacle Wind Farm project is approved. The meeting is open to the public.
“Anyone interested in learning more about the topic is invited to come,” said Mary Green of Ann Green Communications, a Charleston public relations firm that is coordinating the community meetings.
US Windforce has been hosting monthly meetings of the Community Advisory Panel since spring, when the company began its public outreach for the wind farm. Towering 418 feet, the turbines will rise along the crest of Green Mountain, from just north of the Pinnacle radio tower site, all the way to where the mountain drops down to the Potomac River near Keyser.
Past meetings have focussed on issues like the effect of the wind farm on wildlife, transmission of power generated at the farm, and the environmental impact of construction.
The main topic of discussion Monday night will be the community benefit fund, which US WindForce plans to seed with annual donations of $20,000 for the life of the project, if the wind farm is approved.
WindForce officials said the community fund, a voluntary contribution from
the company, will be designed to provide a lasting benefit to the community. Issues to be resolved include, what defines the “community” affected by the wind farm, how would the funds be administered, and who would determine the needs to be funded.
Among those in attendance Monday night to help answer such questions will be a representative of West Virginia Grant Makers, an organization that helps facilitate charitable funds.
In addition to the community-fund discussion, WindForce officials will provide an update on the application process with the West Virginia Public Service Commission, which must approve the project. Company officials plan to submit the voluminous application – contained in three 6-inch-thick binders – by December. The PSC can take up to a year to act on the application.
“They’ll talk about where things are in that process,” Green said.
Once completed, the wind farm will have a maximum generating power of about 72 megawatts, supplying electricity roughly equivalent to the annual power needs of about 21,000 homes. Electricity generated at Pinnacle will enter the grid through an existing transmission line that crosses the property.
The project is expected to create 200 construction jobs and six permanent turbine-maintenance positions. Company officials have said the wind farm will generate about $300,000 annually in property tax revenue.
For more information on the Pinnacle Wind Farm project, visit www.uswindforce.com.