Pattern Energy Introduces Wind Project Team to Litchfield Council

Litchfield City Council | October 1, 2026

Article Summary: Representatives of Pattern Energy and a Springfield public relations firm working for the company used the public participation portion of Litchfield’s Oct. 1, 2026, council meeting to introduce themselves, report that land acquisition and an interconnection study are under way on a proposed wind project, and say property tax revenue estimates for the city and local school districts should be available “in the coming weeks.” The council took no action.

Pattern Energy Appearance Key Points:

• Leah Grossman, a business development manager with Pattern Energy, appeared with colleague Alex Wilson and Maggie Poteau of Magpie PR.
• Grossman said the company has been acquiring land and is “going through the [inter]connection study process” on a wind project in the area.
• Property tax revenue assessments for the City of Litchfield and local school districts are being prepared and were promised to the council.
• The next tour of an operating Pattern wind farm in Mason County is scheduled for Dec. 10; Grossman noted Open Meetings Act limits on how many council members may attend at once.

LITCHFIELD — A wind energy developer that has been assembling land in the Litchfield area sent three representatives to the City Council’s Oct. 1, 2026, meeting to introduce themselves, outline where the project stands and promise the council a set of property tax figures within weeks.

The appearance came during public participation, which the mayor opened by advising the speaker that “you’ll have three minutes to speak.”

Who Appeared

The official minutes record that “Leah Grossman represented and spoke for Pattern Energy, explaining Pattern Energy develops, owns, and operates wind and solar power facilities. Business cards were handed out for Leah Grossman and Alex Wilson.”

Grossman identified herself on the recording as “a business development manager with Pattern Energy” and said Wilson is on the same team. She said she has been with Pattern “for only a few months,” arriving “during an acquisition” of a large U.S. portfolio from another company, and that she has worked on wind and solar projects for about 12 years.

Her stated purpose was introductory. “We haven’t had an opportunity to meet all of you,” she said. “So wanted to come introduce ourselves. … Make sure that you know that Alex and I are your main points of contact and Maggie. We’re going to be showing up more regularly. We want to make sure that we’re here as a solid resource for everyone here.”

Project Status

Grossman gave the council two status points. On the first, she said: “As you’re aware, we’ve been acquiring land. That’s really the first key step in a project being developed.” She said the project is also “going through the … connection study process.”

She said the company held a tour last month of an operational wind farm in Mason County and that invitations had been sent to the City of Litchfield. “We continue to extend the invite if anyone here or from the public at large would like to see what an operational wind farm looks like,” she said, describing the Mason County project as using turbine technology “fairly similar to what we’re expecting to use” and calling it “a nice proxy.”

The next tour, she said, is scheduled for Dec. 10, with more available on request — subject to a constraint she raised herself. “Understanding open meetings acts, right? Like there’s only a certain number of all of you here that are allowed to attend without it becoming a public meeting,” she said. “We’re more than happy to set up as many tours as, you know, there’s a desire for.”

Her second point concerned revenue. “For property tax revenue for the city of Litchfield and the school districts, we’re working on those assessments and we should have that information in the coming weeks,” she said, adding that she would “love to come back, attend a similar meeting such as this and provide some of those figures.”

The Public Relations Role

The minutes record separately that “Maggie Poteau, Springfield, Illinois introduced and presented information about Magpie PR.”

Poteau told the council she is the founder of the firm, which she described as “a small boutique firm in Springfield, Illinois,” and said she is “supporting [Pattern] Energy on the ground doing public engagement” by “sharing information about the project, educating about the project.”

She also told the council she looks for sponsorship and donation opportunities. “I was excited to hear about the … trunk [or] treat and also the conservation which you guys are doing at the lake and also [Route] 66,” she said. “Those are the kind of events and activities that, you know, Pattern Energy really would like to partner with communities and support, because we all know that funding is stripped everywhere and it’s really difficult to find funding to ensure that communities are thriving.”

Poteau described a prior career including 15 years in broadcast television news, work with a Springfield tourism bureau, state social services agencies and academic medicine. “I like to connect the dots in the community,” she said.

No council member asked a question on the record, and no action was taken. Mayor Jacob Fleming closed the item by noting it was the only public participation sign-up.