WINDHAM — Former Selectman Alan Carpenter is leading a new committee that will look into the feasibility of installing a wind and solar electric system at the new high school.
The School Board voted 4-0 on Tuesday to form the committee and make Carpenter its chairman. Carpenter is also a former Planning Board member.
The windmill project, which was the idea of 13-year-old David Hutchings, has "created a whirlwind of excitement," Superintendent Frank Bass said. It has even drawn the interest of U.S. Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., who recently visited the high school site to meet David.
Many residents, including Carpenter and Carl DiPersio, have expressed interest in the project, Bass said.
DiPersio will also serve on the committee along with Bass. Anyone else interested in serving is asked to contact Bass at the School Administrative Unit office on Route 111. The committee will be made up of five to seven people.
"Hopefully, we can take an idea and turn it into a reality that benefits the town both short term and long term," Carpenter said. "An alternative energy program involving both wind and solar is both timely, admirable and something that will pay us dividends for a long time. ... But we can also tie it into a long-term curriculum at the school."
Bass has said it could be used as a teaching tool along with cutting the school's electric bill. It would cost about $300,000 to $350,000 to design and build the system. The school is scheduled to open in 2009.
School Board Chairman Barbara Coish said school officials will not ask taxpayers to finance the project. Instead, the district plans to seek grants and private contributions to pay for the project.
It has been gaining steam since David first presented it to the School Board in January. At the time, the home-schooled student said it would help reduce dependence on foreign oil and slow down global warming.
