Five Things You Should Know About Addison’s Crazy Wind Turbine Lawsuit

On the eve of an expensive trial, the wackiest lawsuit in these parts involving one of our star cities is headed towards a much-welcomed ending.But terms of settlement for Addison's failed $1 million wind turbine art exhibit atop a city water tower are still secret.You read that right.The Watchdog hates secrets, especially when they involve taxpayers' dollars.With this project, Addison tried to build a tribute to the environment, to art and to itself when it plopped turbines high in the sky. The city promised enough electricity generated to run the water tower and even power streetlights along Arapaho Road. Never happened.Even worse, after the initial installation, a turbine blade fell to the ground, 190 feet below.Then a second blade crashed through a nearby storage building's roof, falling into a conference room. No one was hurt.Then a third blade came loose, possibly from a gunshot or high winds. The turbines are still up there, but they're in lockdown mode.The city sued the installer, the supplier and the engineering firm for $1 million. The trial was supposed to begin this week. It was cancelled when the parties agreed to the still-secret settlement, which a judge must still sign off on.Good move for both sides since each had glaring weaknesses that would have made them look incompetent. City officials didn't know how to handle such a unique project, the first of its kind in Texas. The hired hands building the project -- Landmark Structures, Urban Green Energy and Freese and Nichols -- never got it right.Every day, thousands of drivers pass the broken turbines and see them atop the water tower near Arapaho Road and Surveyor Boulevard on the west side of town.Here are five things you should know about this million-dollar flop:  Continue reading...