Gary Man Wants Windmills On Lake Michigan Shore

Gary Man Wants Windmills On Lake Michigan Shore

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Dale Alexander Barton says he’s not tilting at windmills. In fact, he embraces them.

The Gary entrepreneur wants to have 10 windmills, or wind turbines, built along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Gary.

Barton’s not a scientist, but he says his research shows the turbines are an environmentally friendly way to generate electrical power at reduced costs.

Barton: “The upper third of Indiana, right off of the lake front, provides very good average wind speeds even for the largest wind-turbines.”

The cost for the wind-turbines, Barton projects, is 20-million-dollars.

He’s hoping the state will foot the bill and the city of Gary will support him.

But Gary Mayor Rudy Clay has said the lakefront is no place for windmills.

But Barton has some local support. The city council president says he’s behind the windmill idea and will travel with Barton soon to meet with state lawmakers to talk about money to launch the project.

I’m Michael Puente. Chicago Public Radio.