Grant Recipients Announced for Pinnacle Wind Farm’s Annual Community Benefit Fund
Keyser, WV – The US Wind Force Foundation, Inc. today announced the grant recipients for the Community Benefit Fund sponsored by Pinnacle Wind, which is indirectly owned and operated by Clearway Energy Group. Sixteen grants ranging from $400 to $3,000 and totaling $23,030 were allocated to local organizations, bringing the wind farm’s total donations to $273,305.
Twenty completed grant applications were received and evaluated by a local Allocation Committee made up of eight members of the community. Awardees included area schools, fire departments, the public library, and other local groups that will apply the funding to specific projects.
The committee is chaired by Keyser resident Cindy Pyles. “I appreciate the continued commitment and the amount of effort the Allocation Committee exerted in its review of the grant applications. They did an outstanding job. We appreciate that the developers of Pinnacle Wind designed a process for allocating grant money that allowed for local decision-making,” said Pyles.
The Pinnacle Wind CBF 2022 grant recipients are as follows:
| Applicant | Grant Amount | Purpose |
| Aging & Family Services of Mineral County, Inc | $2,000 | Construction of a pavilion at the Keyser Senior Center |
| American Legion Boyce Houser Post 41 | $1,000 | Restoration of the Jonah E Kelley Memorial |
| City of Keyser | $1,000 | Purchase of disc golf baskets |
| Compelled 2 Change | $3,000 | Lil Homies Mentorship Program |
| Developmental Center & Workshop, Inc | $1,000 | Purchase of a chain link fence with a sliding gate |
| Elk District Volunteer Fire Co | $1,000 | Purchase and installation of a wall-mounted air conditioner |
| Fountain Ruritan Club | $2,000 | Replacement of pavilion concrete and purchase of ten windows for building |
| Friends of Ashby’s Fort, Inc. | $1,000 | Replacement of counters, sink, and faucet in Visitor Center kitchen |
| Friends of Jennings Randolph Lake, Inc. | $1,000 | New ramp and door replacement at the camp store in Robert W Craig campground |
| Keyser-Mineral Co Public Library | $400 | Purchase of external hard drives and DVD repair machine |
| Kitzmiller Volunteer Fire Department | $630 | Purchase of Streamlight portable scene light |
| Mineral Co Board of Education | $2,500 | Purchase of floor covering for Camp Minco dining hall |
| Mineral Co Historical Foundation, Inc. | $1,500 | Removal of bat guano from the Carskadon Mansion attic |
| Union educational Complex | $2,000 | Purchase of outdoor storage building for athletic/PE equipment storage |
| WVU – Potomac State College | $500 | Digitization of the Grant Co Press 1940-1950 |
| WVU Foundation, Inc (FBO Mineral Co 4-H Leaders) | $2,500 | Installation of 16 new windows for Camp Minco dining hall |
| Total | $23,030 |
The Directors and Officers of the US Wind Force Foundation extended a special appreciation to the members of the Allocation Committee: Cindy Pyles, Chair; Logan DelSignore, Vice-Chair; Carol Wilson, John Lecky, Walt Ward, Cliff Wendricks, Hayward Wilson, and Jeremy Boinovych. Their service to the Foundation and the community is a critical part of the process.
Funding for the Foundation’s Community Benefit Fund comes from Pinnacle Wind, LLC, the owner and operator of the Pinnacle Wind Project. The Community Benefit Fund was launched in 2012 and will distribute $20,000 every year over the life of the project.
“We are extremely proud to be part of this community,” said Doug Vance, plant manager with Clearway Energy Group. “It’s nice to know that wind energy projects like ours can be of help to such worthy initiatives.”