Cheyenne to Put Wind Data Towers on Belvoir Ranch

The City of Cheyenne is looking at the possibility of developing a commercial wind farm on the Belvoir Ranch.

After nearly thirty minutes of public comment Tuesday, Laramie County Commissioners unanimously approved the city's request to put five temporary meteorological (met) towers on the property.

"They would be located on the western end of the Belvoir Ranch to collect wind data only," said Mayor Rick Kaysen. "It is one of the first steps if there is going to be potential wind development."

A handful of adjacent property owners argued that the city already has plans in place to build the wind farm, but Kaysen says that simply isn't true.

"We're still several years down the pike and there will be a good number of public hearings taken into consideration once plans are designed and developed," said Kaysen. "Today they have not been designed because we're still trying to collect the wind data."

Property owners also voiced concerns about the potential wind farm obstructing their view of the Rocky Mountains and affecting their property values.

"We are willing to work with those property owners," said Kaysen. "We have listened and will address their concerns."

Kaysen also noted that the met towers don't look anything like traditional wind turbines.

"They're a rather slender, sixty meter tall tower," said Kaysen. "They would be out there for approximately one year and so they would not be overly intrusive."