Published: 7/12/2022 6:07:59 PM
Modified: 7/12/2022 6:05:14 PM
CHARLEMONT — The wind turbine blade that broke at Berkshire East Mountain Resort in mid-February has been replaced and the turbine is expected to be up and running again shortly.
Jon Schaefer, whose family owns Berkshire East as well as Catamount Ski Resort in Hillsdale, New York, said several partners made the repairs in early June. As of late last week, Schaefer was waiting on the delivery of a cooling pump “the size of a quart of maple syrup” for a radiator system the turbine needs.
One of the three blades snapped on Feb. 17, presumably due to a strong gust of wind. There were no injuries.
“It was a huge deal, and very stressful,” Schaefer said. “You kind of resign yourself to the process.”
Schaefer, whose father purchased the business in 1976, previously explained that the 900-kilowatt-hour wind turbine supplements the resort’s energy consumption but does not serve as its power supply. He said the turbine was installed in 2010 and commissioned in January 2011.
“It’s an important piece of our infrastructure here,” he said. He mentioned it has taken a while to get the cooling pump because of “some weird supply chain stuff.”
The incident did not disrupt Berkshire East’s operations, but Schaefer said customers have been extremely kind about the ordeal nonetheless.
“Everybody was great and very helpful,” he said. “People were very supportive of what we were trying to do.”
Reach Domenic Poli at:
dpoli@recorder.com or
413-772-0261, ext. 262.