REDINGTON TOWNSHIP – Representatives of a proposed wind farm announced Monday the endorsement of a Franklin County economic development group.

Endless Energy Corp. President Harley Lee also noted that he planned to try to get supporters and opponents to sit down and discuss the project before the group submits an application to a state regulatory agency.

Lee is proposing a 60-megawatt wind farm on Redington Mountain, about 4 miles west of the Sugarloaf/USA ski area and 8 miles south of Stratton.

In Monday’s news release, Lee stated that the plan has been endorsed by the Greater Franklin Development Corp.’s Board of Directors.

The group’s board, in its formal letter of support, described the five to 10 permanent jobs that will be created, plus the 20 to 25 additional jobs during construction, as “much-needed opportunities for the people in greater Franklin County,” Lee stated.

Alison Hagerstrom, executive director of Greater Franklin Development Corp. in Farmington, said the support letter was sent in December.

The board supports bringing new employment opportunities to the region, she said.

“It is going to create some new jobs,” Hagerstrom said. “I think that jobs are going to come small. Small companies, small businesses.”

Hagerstrom also said that the wind farm, which is proposed to have about 30 wind turbines on Redington Pond Range and Black Nuble Mountain, has the potential to bring more people to the area as a tourist attraction.

The wind turbines are placed on 200- to 260-foot-tall tubular towers. Three 115- to 150-foot blades on each turbine will rotate at a leisurely nine to 19 rotations per minute – about once every four seconds, according to Endless Energy Corp.’s Web site.

Lee also expects the wind farm to be a tourist attraction.

“People are fascinated by wind farms,” Lee said in the release. “We expect ours will help the local economy by providing another recreational opportunity for visitors to the area.”

Opponents have said the project will be detrimental to the landscape and environment.

The wind farm is expected to be online by fall of 2005, Lee stated.

“It will produce enough power to supply about 33,000 typical Maine households and will prevent more than 600,000 pounds of pollution from being released every day by existing plants in New England,” he said.

More information about the company and the project may be obtained on the Internet at www.endlessenergy.com.

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