The Albert Lea School District is pursuing the possibility of renting land in Hayward and putting up a wind-tower electric generator.

The district wants to get a grant from Xcel Energy that would cover the cost of building the structure.

&uot;This idea is all dependent on a grant,&uot; Superintendent Dave Prescott said.

Prescott and the district approached the Hayward City Council about renting land from the town to put up the tower. The council seemed interested and positive about the idea, according to Prescott.

The tower could cost anywhere from around $1 million to $1.6 million.

Prescott said the district would partner with Alliant Energy, which is actually writing the grant for the district, on the project. The school, he said, would benefit from the educational opportunities for students, and at the same time would save money on electricity costs for the district by giving that wind power to Alliant in exchange for energy they use in the district.

&uot;The tower could pay for itself in six to seven years,&uot; Prescott said. &uot;More than one could offset the cost (of energy) for the school district.&uot;

The district is still in preliminary exchanges with Hayward and Alliant on the matter, and the project has not come before the board yet.

Spirit Lake, Iowa, and Wayzata, Minn. are among some of the schools that have wind towers.

&uot;We may be the only one in southern Minnesota,&uot; Prescott said.

The grant application would need to be submitted by mid-May.

Prescott said that he thinks the district has a good chance because the tower would serve educational, fiscal and environmental needs for the district and the area.