Opposition Forming to Elm Springs Wind Farm

Remember the 80-megawatt wind farm on 311 acres out near Elm Springs we told you about back in January? Since breaking the news on our website, that wind farm being proposed by Dragonfly Industries International LLC of Frisco, Texas, has become a statewide story.

But here’s something you probably haven’t heard yet. While Elm Springs officials are giddy that a big-ticket item like a multimillion-dollar wind farm might be coming to town, some of the residents aren’t. In fact, one property owner is building a coalition to oppose, and ultimately defeat, the wind farm.

“We are for green energy, so we’re not against the concept, but we’re against large industrial facilities being built in people’s backyards in Northwest Arkansas,” the resident said, asking that we not use his name. “We’re not going to let this happen without a fight.”

The guy has a point. Whispers went out to the area around Brush Creek and Kenneth Price roads, where Dragonfly wants to build. That’s one of the prettiest little corners of Washington County, where both trailer homes and brick mansions sit on picturesque plots of land.

“The rural atmosphere will be ruined for all those that live close to the project,” the landowner said. “It is peaceful and quiet, and there are no city lights or noise to deal with.”

The landowner said nobody from Dragonfly has deigned to come to his house, or to any others, to discuss the project. He also doubts Dragonfly’s assertions that the turbines are as quiet as a hairdryer.

Dragonfly’s turbines resemble jet engines, and would be mounted on 100-foot poles placed at 1-acre intervals. According to drawings published on Dragonfly’s website, the farm would also include an office, a powerhouse and access from Kenneth Price.

The landowner, who has a wife and kids, told Whispers he’s serious about opposing Dragonfly, and plans on fighting them through the entire planning process if that’s what it takes. He said he’s confident he won’t be alone.

“Given the chance to live next to a wind farm or not, most people are going to choose not to,” he said.