Appalachian State University - Rhododendron Yearbook (Boone, NC)

Page 9 text:

During the first few days of the 1983 faltj semester, workmen came to Boone to dismantle the windmill. At top, the burning off of bolts to allow crane operators to lower the blade to the ground. Middle, one blade has been removed. Bottom, the first blade comes to rest on the ground.

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CHANGES TURNED TO SCRAP Dismantled into an assortment of parts, gears, and chopped-up blades, Boone ' s largest tourist attraction slipped quietly out of town. ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE HOBBS Like many of the students who come to ASU the windmill that once stood a top Howard ' s Knob proved to be only a transient four year resident. Billed as the world ' s largest wind- driven generator the windmill was more successful at generating a flurry of attention rather than electricity. Televi- sion crews came from all over to report on it. So many tourists travelled up the road to see it that local residents began to feel like traffic cops. Even a cult of sorts was formed by a group who called themselves Wooshies and light- heartedly revered the machine. Born of an idea within the federal government in the early 1970 ' s the windmill became the prized child of the Department of Energy, NASA, General Electric, the Blue Ridge Electrical Membership Co-op, and locals. Construc- tion began in June of 1978 and was completed by July 1979 when dedication services were held. Local residents and students alike kept their eyes attended to the top of the hill overlooking Boone watching for any sign of movement from the 220 foot wingspan. Occasionally the attentive were rewarded. At times the blades moved slowly. Being tested at various angles to the wind, operators rotated the blades. It was a rare day when the windmill was seen in full splendor with nothing but the wind driving it. The project was quickly beset by problems. Howard ' s Knob residents complained of television interference, vibrations, and a mysterious booming sound. Continuing mechanical problems culminated in the breaking of the 22 It met every objective except one, and that was simply that it was never turned over to the electric utility to operate. -Bob Bumgarner bolts that held the windmill ' s blades to the generator shaft. The various agencies and firms involved scrambled for ideas and money in an effort to continue the experiment. However, in a climate of governmental austerity, administrators were hesitant to commit funds to a project that had run up a tab of $30 million and promised more unknown costs. The pride of Boone was scuttled. Persons connected with the project insist that the windmill was not a failure. It met every objective except one, said Bob Bumgarner of BREMCO, and that was simply that it was never turned over to the electric utility to operate. It was the first machine to generate 2000 kilowatts of electricity from the power of the wind and the experience gained has been applied to the building and operation of three similar windmills in the state of Washington. But it ' s all history now. On August 17th, just as students began drifting back into town the week before registration, workmen burned off bolts and the first blade was taken off. The next day the second one was removed. By the time we had memorized our class schedules the windmill was gone. The machine that had known a whirlwind of fanfare slipped out of town on flatbed trucks.

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CHANGES BEAUTY VS. BIG BUCKS In the headlong rush for development and profit, will the high country ' s greatest attraction - scenic beauty, be destroyed? ARTICLE BY ANGELO CERCHIONE PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID HUNTLEY Someone sees an outlandish gas station or an obtrusive condominium and reacts to the sight. Tutored or untutored, he or she knows that something is wrong and asks, Why do they permit this to happen? The question takes us back to Earth Day and the words of the most often quoted possum of the seventies, Pogo: We have met the enemy and he is us. The problem is one of aesthetics - of the violation of beauty and the thoughtful preservation in the midst of necessary development. No one runs for office in this area with a campaign slogan that blares: We gotta stay beautiful! and yet, most people are drawn to the area or refuse to leave it because of its beauty. In this beauty, there is more than satisfaction. There is also money. Look at the numbers. This area entertains a million tourists a year who spend $45 million while visiting. That $45 million stimulates other spending as it trickles down from some 1,600 people directly employed in tourist-related industries to others - a multiplier effect five times greater than the initial expenditure. Economic studies show that this figure will increase, if permitted. If permitted brings us back to aesthetics. Those with money and mobility come here now because of our visual amenities. Consistently, tourists answer the question on survey after survey, Why did you come to this area? with one word: scenery. To them, every other attraction is considered secondary. Unfortunately, that scenery is becoming frayed. Uncollected roadside junk, uncon- demned derelict housing, indiscriminate tree cutting, obscenely large signs, flashing lights, grotesquely-colored ser- vice stations, violated flood plains, gouged and ungrassed banks - all offend the sensibilities. Understand, this is no list of complaints by the prissy. People with money come here to enjoy the scenery. When the enjoyment is diminished, the moneyed and mobile will move away and find a new beautiful place. When they do, a quarter billion dollars will go with them. Of greater importance, but harder yet to teach, is that beauty is a measure of environmental health. We look in a mirror to learn something of our condition. Some of us still need to learn how to look into nature ' s mirror and measure fitness. But not all of us are blind to the importance of environmental preserva- tion, for there have been important steps taken to repair damage, educate the laity, and make things right. The state ' s ridge line legislation and Boone ' s tree preserva- tion and sign ordinances are recent positive in steps taken by local and state leaders. These steps have been taken none too soon. The southeastern and central sunbelt is attracting more and more Americans who are escaping the cold north. The move into the south-west will be slowed by the diminishing water table, making the beauty and water-rich Ap- palachian mountains even more popular. The test of the future is how well we can accommodate growth (for the courts will not act to stem the tide by closing the door to migration) and preserve a prudent degree of environmental health. In the mountains of North Carolina there is nothing frivolous in lobbying for aesthetics. It is a measure of our health and an indication of our ability to cope with all of those tomorrows.