Wind turbines going up near Fleck Sales in Cedar Rapids

Two more wind turbines soon will dot the sky in the city, though these two, 88-foot-tall turbines are going up without objection in a spot on the city's far southern edge zoned for light industrial use.

Fleck Sales, 11125 High Life Ct. SW, plans to install the turbines, which are considered small wind turbines under the city's new ordinance that regulates the placement of the alternative-energy machines.

The city ordinance allows small turbines in any zoning class with a conditional use permit after review by the City Planning Commission and approval by the city's Board of Adjustment.

The planning commission has placed Fleck's permit request on its Thursday consent agenda, which is approved without discussion.

The first wind-turbine proposal in the city under the city's new ordinance prompted objections from neighbors. In that instance, the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Electrical Training Center, 2300 Johnson Ave. NW, initially wanted to erect a 61-foot turbine and two 37-foot ones next to its building in an area zoned residential.

The city's Board of Adjustment denied a permit for the plan, which the training center subsequently changed and won board approval for. The center now will install two, 37-foot-tall turbines more to the liking of neighbors.

In recent weeks, the City Council approved a change in the wind-turbine ordinance related to large wind turbines to allow the shadow flicker caused by the turbine's blade rotating in the sun to touch residential properties for up to 30 hours in a year.

Kirkwood Community College is planning to install a 417-foot turbine on its Cedar Rapids campus, but needed the ordinance change to do so.

Kirkwood's engineering analysis shows that the shadow flicker that will reach homes from its turbine will not exceed 20 hours a year, and in most instances won't exceed 10 hours a year.

The college has a $1.05 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for the $5.5-million project, as well as a $1 million no-interest loan from the state's alternative energy revolving loan fund.