A wind turbine project in West Tisbury hit a snag recently when a town committee that has been shepherding the project discovered that it had tapped the wrong group to prepare an application for a $40,000 state feasibility study.

The wind energy committee learned that because the turbines are planned for the West Tisbury School, the grant application to the Massachusetts Collaborative Technology Project must come from the Up-Island School District, not the town.

Work by the wind energy committee had been breezing along this year, and there is a completed site study done by the renewable energy research laboratory at the University of Massachusetts for two proposed wind turbines at the school. The study was underwritten by a state grant to the town.

“When we began to look closely at the application, we decided we needed help and asked for town counsel’s help. Ron Rappaport [West Tisbury town counsel] confirmed that we need to apply through the district,” said Shelton Bank, chairman of the six-member committee told the West Tisbury selectmen. “A lot of things we’re saying today we did not know three weeks ago,” Mr. Bank said.

The energy committee met last week with a subcommittee of the school district board. “The meeting went very well. I’m optimistic,” Mr. Bank said. The full school board will meet on Dec. 13 to decide whether the project needs nonbinding approval from voters at their annual town meetings. If it does, the request would come before voters in all three towns that form the school district: West Tisbury, Chilmark and Aquinnah.

Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter, a selectman and school board member, told Mr. Bank: “Don’t be discouraged. There’s support for this idea going forward,” he said.

Selectman and board chairman Glen Hearn agreed. “The schedule has changed, It’s going to take longer, it’s unfortunate but we have to follow the process and find out if voters want to support this project,” he said.

Mr. Bank replied: “I’m not discouraged. This is a worthwhile idea. People told me when I got into this that it’s a long, winding road with many twists and turns.”