VINTON - Vinton-Shellsburg School District could soon join ten other Iowa districts by harnessing wind power. It hopes the energy savings will pay off big for education there, because it now feels the squeeze of rapidly rising energy costs on its budget.

Superintendent Randy Braden is already pouring over the preliminary possibility of Vinton-Shellsburg becoming a one-turbine wind farm.

He says, "We estimate saving to be upwards between $80- and $100-thousand per year."

Two years ago, TV9 traveled to the Forest City School District in north central Iowa. That district constructed a wind turbine nearly a decade ago to power its own buildings, plus a string of houses.

Former Forest City Superintendent Dwight Pierson then said, “We call these ka-ching days when the wind's blowing 30 miles per hour."

Forest City's 600 kilowatt turbine saves the district about $50-thousand each year in energy costs. Vinton-Shellsburg is now considering a 900 kilowatt structure for an estimated savings of $80-thousand or a 15-hundred kilowatt tower to save about $100-thousand.

Braden says, "The money we'll save in energy comes out of the same side of our budget that we pay teachers, buy supplies."

The district would pay for its part of the turbine, which could cost more than three million dollars, by borrowing from its physical plant levy. Braden hopes the Vinton Municipal Electric Utility, which now supplies the district's power, would pay for half of the building cost. The utility says it supports the idea, but it's too soon to make a final decision.

Board Chairman Mike Elwick says, "We belong to the RPGI, which is a group of several Iowa communities, and we have a contract right now to purchase our power through the RPGI, so we are limited by what they tell us we can and can't do."

Braden also hopes to know about the project's funding by September. If all goes well, a wind turbine could be part of the new high school's campus sometime next year.

Not only could this help save money for educational purposes, but Braden also foresees an environmental science class in conjunction with the wind turbine. The wind turbine in Forest City was actually part of a physics student's class project.

Email Josh Hinkle at Josh.Hinkle@kcrg.com