Community Hears Information on Proposed Wind Farm in McMillan Township

Tuesday, July 15th, 2025 -- 9:00 AM

(Sirena Mankins (Editor), Hub City Times) On a warm afternoon outside the Alliant Energy information session, two groups of residents stood on opposite sides of a debate that has quietly divided this rural community for nearly two years.

According to Sirena Mankins, Editor with the Hub City Times, inside the building, company representatives fielded questions about the proposed Hub City Wind Project.

Meanwhile, participating landowner David Falkosky defended his decision to sign with the utility company while, across the street, Heidi Peskie handed out flyers urging neighbors to oppose the development.

The contrast illustrates how the wind farm proposal has created unlikely battle lines in McMillan, where some residents say they learned about the project only recently despite contracts being signed as early as 2023.

"The majority of people don't even know about it," said Peskie, a lifelong resident whose family has lived in the area since the late 1800s. "We're just bringing awareness so they can get informed."

Peskie's concerns center on potential impacts to the nearby McMillan Marsh Wildlife Area, property values, noise and what she calls insufficient community notification.

She's particularly worried about migratory birds, citing studies from the International Crane Association and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that recommend buffer zones around sensitive habitats.

"It's not suitable for this area," she said, describing how retirement-age residents value the area's peaceful, rural character. "There are setback issues, health and safety concerns, and they've signed up quite a few people without proper community input."

The opposition emerged in earnest last October when some residents first learned about the project through word of mouth rather than official announcements.

Peskie said her group has organized informational meetings and created a Facebook page to track developments, though she emphasized they're not part of any formal organization.

"This open house is a couple years too late," she said, referring to the timing of Alliant's public information session back in May. "If they would have come here years ago when they first started signing people up, there should have been more of an announcement."

But for Falkosky, a tax accountant who initially opposed wind development, seeing an existing project in Hampton, Iowa, changed his perspective entirely.

The 35-year tax professional said he's learned from past mistakes and didn't want to miss an opportunity with potential financial benefits for both himself and his clients.

"I walked into a restaurant (in Iowa) and asked 22 people what they thought about their turbines," Falkosky recalled of his October 2023 visit. "Twenty of them were very big proponents. They all said they wished they had been involved or been earlier adopters."

The site visit, arranged by Alliant Energy, convinced Falkosky and his wife to sign up their farmland along with extended family members. He said the turbines looked exactly as they would in five, 10 or 20 years, with well-maintained access roads and no evidence of the environmental damage opponents often cite

"I was looking for leaking turbines, piles of dead birds, all this stuff I heard about," Falkosky said. "I didn't see what I thought I would see." Walking under the turbines during his authorized tour, Falkosky said he found himself thinking about broader energy implications.

He noted that coal-burning plants release mercury that affects fish and birds, while wind turbines use "God's power to create power for us." "I own an electric vehicle. I want to be able to juice it up," he said. "I know that I could live without some of these large stores, but I don't know that I could live without power."

The project would generate 100 megawatts of power, enough to serve about 30,000 homes, according to Falkosky. But opponents question whether the electricity will even benefit local residents, with some claiming the power is destined for Chicago-area markets.

Alliant Energy doesn't even cover a majority of McMillan Township, critics note. "What are we giving up? It seems like a big price to pay for something we don't get anything in return," Peskie said.

Both sides acknowledge the community divide runs deeper than typical municipal disputes. Peskie's group is pushing for protective ordinances similar to those adopted in Brighton and Oak Lane townships, where energy companies unsuccessfully challenged local health and safety regulations in court.

Falkosky said he's talked to neighbors about their concerns and found mixed reactions. His next-door neighbor told him, "You do what you want for you. I'll decide what I want for me."

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