EARL WATT

    Leader & Times

Anyone who drives from Southwest Kansas to Amarillo will likely see the Groom, Texas, “Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Towering at 190 feet, this spectacle can be seen for miles by travelers along I-40.

But the massiveness of that cross pales in comparison to the size of the wind turbines being proposed for the project in Southwest Kansas including Seward County.

According to the proposed agreement between Seward County and Thresher Wind, which was recently presented to the public for review and comment, the wind turbines will be as high as 609 feet, more than three times taller than the cross in Groom.

In other comparisons, that’s twice as tall as the 305-foot Statue of Liberty and more than three times as tall as the Tower of Pisa (183 feet).

The height is a critical component because of the visibility of the industrial machines. Towering at twice the size of a football field, these towers are the equivalent of a 60 story building.

For some who oppose the project, the height makes it impossible to ignore them, especially if they are allowed to be 1,900 feet away from a home that did not want to be a part of the program.

For those with leases, the distance can be even shorter.

According to jytangledweb.org, these will be visible from 33 miles away on level ground by a person six foot tall.

While most people will simply drive by the massive structures, those in the region will see wind turbines for the forseeable future. The wind leases have been offering $500 per year to those who are neighbors to the affected properties for 50 years, which means the mammoth structures are expected to be permanent.

According to the University of Kansas about a third of Kansas counties have restricted or banned wind turbines, and for many, the reason was their appearance on the landscape.

"We have a lot of wind in Kansas," Flint Hills rancher Rose Bacon said in 2009 . "There are a lot of places these could be developed."

But not in her part of Kansas. She and others formed a group to oppose the turbines because of their effect on the pristine countryside.

"I've seen them in Iowa… I’ve seen them in Minnesota… I’ve no problem with them," she said. "On the ridges of the Flint Hills, or [where] I have seen them in Wyoming on ridges or in New Mexico on ridges, they are horrendous because they clash so badly with the natural environment."

Ryan Martin made similar comment in Seward County refering to one of the iconic reasons people choose to live on the prairie lands of Southwest Kansas — the unique sunsets.

Seward County is considering the proposal, and the public can share concerns at Monday’s Seward County Commission meeting at 5:30 p.m. Those who wish to speak will need to sign in and provide information about their place of residence and whether or not they plan to speak in favor, against or are neutral about the proposal. Meetings take place at the Seward Count Administration Building, 515 N. Washington.