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Karl F · 03-10-2010, 09:16 AM

As part of a federal project to renovate the Monomoy Lighthouse, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to build a 75-foot wind turbine to generate electricity for the historic structure.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans an historic rehabilitation of the Monomoy Lighthouse and keeper’s house. Part of the project also calls for a 75-foot wind turbine to generate electricity for the remote site. CHRISTOPHER SEUFERT PHOTO
The project, which is being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will restore the historical integrity of the 40-foot-tall lighthouse, the keeper’s house and an oil shed, all of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The last major work on the structures was done in 1988, and the harsh environment of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge has taken its toll.

“That previous work all has to be redone,” said Refuge Manager David Brownlie. Once restored, the agency hopes to reopen the buildings for use by the service and other agencies.

“We hope to utilize it more for our own staff, and in addition, we’re hoping in the very least it can be reopened to short-duration tour stops,” Brownlie said.

The cast-iron, brick-lined lighthouse and wood-framed keeper’s house were both built in 1849. Work on the lighthouse includes exterior restoration, painting, window replacement, cast-iron repair, rehabilitation of interior stairs, brick repointing and repainting. Work on the keeper’s house includes site and foundation work, exterior wood rehabilitation and replacement, window restoration, deck replacement, interior wood and plaster repair, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and structural work. Cost is projected at between $1 million and $5 million.

The work will also include replacement of the old cesspool with a composting toilet and new electrical well, which will require power.

According to Brownlie, two plans are being considered to generate approximately 15 kilowatts of electricity. One is a single traditional propeller-blade wind turbine mounted on a 75-foot monopole. The other is a vertical corkscrew-type turbine, which requires a smaller pole. While the six- to eight-foot vertical turbines will operate in lower wind conditions than the propeller-driven turbine, they only generates about four kilowatts of power each, so four of them would be needed, he said.

Because Monomoy is a migratory bird sanctuary and home to many threatened and endangered species, including piping plovers and roseate terns, there is concern about a turbine’s impact on the avian population. Brownlie said the agency is in the process of doing an environmental assessment and is completing an internal discussion on endangered species compliance. That deals specifically with plovers and roseate terns; the overall environmental assessment will consider other shorebird species.

Brownlie said similar turbines are in operation at several other National Wildlife facilities, and they’ve been monitored for bird strikes.

“It’s a very, very low incidence of even suspected bird strikes,” he said, “and a majority of those have been from starlings who nested in openings in the turbines.” He has seen no documentation of plover, tern or other shorebird mortality due to wind turbines of the size and type being proposed.

“These are not Cape Wind, large capacity big wind turbines,” Brownlie said, referring to the Cape Wind proposal to install 130, 258-foot turbines at Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. “They’re much smaller.” However, the turbine will probably be visible from the mainland, he said, and from a “considerable distance offshore, in good weather.”

Monomoy’s huge tern colony is mainly located at the northern tip of South Monomoy (which is no longer an island since it is attached to South Beach), a considerable distance from the lighthouse. Plovers have nested in the vicinity of the lighthouse, Brownlie said, with one nest last year within 100 yards of the structure. Construction isn’t expected to begin until August, after shorebirds have nested and the young have fledged, but any nests near the work area will be more closely monitored, he said.

The project also include making the refuge’s Morris Island headquarters buildings more energy efficient. A vertical wind turbine is also under consideration there, Brownlie said.

“Quite frankly, we don’t know if we’re going to end up with a wind turbine” on the mainland portion of the refuge, he said. Engineers, planners and refuge officials were slated to meet on both projects Tuesday. The headquarters project will also include weatherization of the buildings and installation of solar panels on the dorm building.

Fish and Wildlife officials met with town officials last Thursday to discuss the project. The agency will have to file for permits from the conservation commission and board of health, said Dr. Robert Duncanson, director of the department of health and environment. The biggest concern of local officials is how equipment and material will be brought to the island, he said.

“They’re going to need a lot of material out there for what they’re proposing,” he said. Initial plans call for equipment and material to be brought to the remote location by helicopter, he said.

03-10-2010, 09:16 AM	#79
Karl F Registered User iTrader: (0) Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 5,945	Monomoy might get wind power As part of a federal project to renovate the Monomoy Lighthouse, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to build a 75-foot wind turbine to generate electricity for the historic structure. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans an historic rehabilitation of the Monomoy Lighthouse and keeper’s house. Part of the project also calls for a 75-foot wind turbine to generate electricity for the remote site. CHRISTOPHER SEUFERT PHOTO The project, which is being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will restore the historical integrity of the 40-foot-tall lighthouse, the keeper’s house and an oil shed, all of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The last major work on the structures was done in 1988, and the harsh environment of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge has taken its toll. “That previous work all has to be redone,” said Refuge Manager David Brownlie. Once restored, the agency hopes to reopen the buildings for use by the service and other agencies. “We hope to utilize it more for our own staff, and in addition, we’re hoping in the very least it can be reopened to short-duration tour stops,” Brownlie said. The cast-iron, brick-lined lighthouse and wood-framed keeper’s house were both built in 1849. Work on the lighthouse includes exterior restoration, painting, window replacement, cast-iron repair, rehabilitation of interior stairs, brick repointing and repainting. Work on the keeper’s house includes site and foundation work, exterior wood rehabilitation and replacement, window restoration, deck replacement, interior wood and plaster repair, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and structural work. Cost is projected at between $1 million and $5 million. The work will also include replacement of the old cesspool with a composting toilet and new electrical well, which will require power. According to Brownlie, two plans are being considered to generate approximately 15 kilowatts of electricity. One is a single traditional propeller-blade wind turbine mounted on a 75-foot monopole. The other is a vertical corkscrew-type turbine, which requires a smaller pole. While the six- to eight-foot vertical turbines will operate in lower wind conditions than the propeller-driven turbine, they only generates about four kilowatts of power each, so four of them would be needed, he said. Because Monomoy is a migratory bird sanctuary and home to many threatened and endangered species, including piping plovers and roseate terns, there is concern about a turbine’s impact on the avian population. Brownlie said the agency is in the process of doing an environmental assessment and is completing an internal discussion on endangered species compliance. That deals specifically with plovers and roseate terns; the overall environmental assessment will consider other shorebird species. Brownlie said similar turbines are in operation at several other National Wildlife facilities, and they’ve been monitored for bird strikes. “It’s a very, very low incidence of even suspected bird strikes,” he said, “and a majority of those have been from starlings who nested in openings in the turbines.” He has seen no documentation of plover, tern or other shorebird mortality due to wind turbines of the size and type being proposed. “These are not Cape Wind, large capacity big wind turbines,” Brownlie said, referring to the Cape Wind proposal to install 130, 258-foot turbines at Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. “They’re much smaller.” However, the turbine will probably be visible from the mainland, he said, and from a “considerable distance offshore, in good weather.” Monomoy’s huge tern colony is mainly located at the northern tip of South Monomoy (which is no longer an island since it is attached to South Beach), a considerable distance from the lighthouse. Plovers have nested in the vicinity of the lighthouse, Brownlie said, with one nest last year within 100 yards of the structure. Construction isn’t expected to begin until August, after shorebirds have nested and the young have fledged, but any nests near the work area will be more closely monitored, he said. The project also include making the refuge’s Morris Island headquarters buildings more energy efficient. A vertical wind turbine is also under consideration there, Brownlie said. “Quite frankly, we don’t know if we’re going to end up with a wind turbine” on the mainland portion of the refuge, he said. Engineers, planners and refuge officials were slated to meet on both projects Tuesday. The headquarters project will also include weatherization of the buildings and installation of solar panels on the dorm building. Fish and Wildlife officials met with town officials last Thursday to discuss the project. The agency will have to file for permits from the conservation commission and board of health, said Dr. Robert Duncanson, director of the department of health and environment. The biggest concern of local officials is how equipment and material will be brought to the island, he said. “They’re going to need a lot of material out there for what they’re proposing,” he said. Initial plans call for equipment and material to be brought to the remote location by helicopter, he said.