A Trick on the Eyes But a Treat for the Town

After years of planning, preparing, calculating and fighting lawsuits, John Fitch, PMLD Manager, has, on behalf of Princeton, purchased and installed two giant windmills on the southwest side of Mt. Wachusett. John deserves a big thank you (as big as the windmills) from Princeton residents for his persistence and perseverance in this matter. So well known was the dispute surrounding the acquisition of the windmills that Director John Stimpson included that controversy as an underlying theme in his 2006 movie, "The Legend of Lucy Keyes."

In spite of the news coverage, it was with great surprise that while hiking along the Harrington Trail on Halloween, I happened upon one of the new windmills. "How could anyone stumble over something so large," you might ask. After all, the blades are 134 feet long and are perched 230 feet above ground where they are connected to a hub large enough to comfortably hold two standing men . Before I give the answer, consider this. While looking at the first windmill, the second was not visible, something I found curious, given their size. The other peculiarity was that the windmill I could see appeared to be rather small, at least compared to pictures in The Landmark. I continued along the path which curved towards the northeast and there, on the side of the trail, was the other windmill. At the time, however, I thought I was looking at the same one I had just seen because as I was hiking, it had temporarily disappeared from sight behind a tree-covered hill.

The explanation to these oddities is that the windmills are so enormous that given the right vantage point, they create optical illusions. Their size and placement create a deceptive image, making the windmills appear smaller than they are and making me think I was looking at the same windmill as opposed to two at separate times. Nearing the top of Wachusett Mountain and looking across the valley at them, their actual size became obvious and both were visible at the same time. The trick was on the eyes, but the treat will be the substantial amount of power the windmills will provide without using any resources other than wind.

Expect the windmills to begin operating within the next two weeks. Many thanks to John Fitch and Princeton Municipal Light Department.


http://www.thelandmark.com/Current/Princeton_News/ [Must be a subscriber to access.]
The Landmark, October 29, 2009, "Second windmill is up at PMLD wind site" by Phyllis Booth, Princeton News, p.12.


http://www.thelandmark.com/news/2009/1029/Editorials_Opinions/
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The Landmark, October 29, 2009, "As the mill turns" Editorial, p. 4.

http://www.thelandmark.com/news/2009/1022/princeton_news/025.html
The Landmark, October 22, 2009, Photograph in Princeton News, p.8.