The Bluegrass Ridge wind farm in northwest Missouri is doing more than generating power … it’s also generating local revenue. The fledgeling wind farm near King City was being built about the same time Brenda Spiking was opening the Aberdeen Steak House.
Spiking says it’s been boosting her business ever since. She says tour buses and school groups come through, bringing money into her business as well as others throughout the community.
She says her patrons have mixed feelings about the windfarm, which comprises nearly 30 turbines. A few complain about the noise, but most say it’s like living next to a railroad; after a while, you just don’t even hear it anymore.
Officials estimate that next year, more than $300,000 in new property tax money will go into the Gentry County coffers as a result of the windfarms. The school district should get about $200,000 more, helping pull them out of a slump that has resulted in personnel cuts within the past few years. The school district also plans to upgrade its computer labs with some of the additional revenue.
Spiking says most of her patrons see the wind farms as a positive change.
And she’s happy to take reservations for tour groups rolling through: senior trips, bus trips … she says they make a day of it, go for lunch, visit the local museum, Conception Abbey and more.