Township Looking to Place Wind Turbine at Sports Complex

The township council is preparing to place a wind turbine at the Drum Point Sports Complex, officials said.

The governing body has authorized an engineering firm to seek bids on the wind turbine system, which will most likely be used to generate energy to power lighting equipment at the park with excess power sold back to the power grid.

“We thought that would be a good spot,” said Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis. “We’ve gone out and done all of the engineering stuff, and now we’re getting ready to actually put it up.”

Township officials have been looking for some time to place a turbine somewhere within Brick’s borders. Acropolis said the initial site up for consideration was Brick Beach I on the barrier island, but that idea was eventually scrapped because of concerns over the harsh weather conditions in the area and the fact that the turbine would be surrounded by a residential neighborhood.

The Drum Point complex, he said, has a number of advantages, including the usefulness of the turbine to reduce or eliminate the complex’s electric bills and its proximity to two schools – Emma Havens Young and Drum Point elementary – so students can learn about clean energy.

“It will act as an educational tool for the kids in school,” Acropolis said.

When the turbine is built, there will be public signage which will show how much power it generates and, possible, how much money it produces for the township, the mayor said.

Birdsall Engineering is handling the bid process, according to township documents. Acropolis said the turbine will be a traditional style model but it will not be particularly large.