Sep. 6--EBENSBURG -- The cranes are up, the first concrete is poured and construction of a wind-energy plant is breezing along.

Now, executives with Spanish turbine-blade manufacturer Gamesa Corp. are laying the foundation for hiring the first of an expected 234 workers during the next three years.

This week, Gamesa designated a human resources manager, Richard A. Durina, for hiring at the plant, which is being built at the Cambria County Industrial Park near Ebensburg.

Managerial hopefuls may apply now. Production workers will have their chance at a major job fair to be advertised later this fall.

Like Alberto Gros Isla, Gamesa plant manager at the Ebensburg site, Durina will temporarily use the services of the JARI economic development group in Johnstown.

"We're shooting for the end of October or early November to hire production people," Durina said.

The plant will be Gamesa's first production facility in the United States.

Operating under the name Fiberblade LLC, it will employ 177 workers with two production lines.

The first line will open when the plant does, probably at the beginning of the year, which will mean 100 jobs. A second production line is targeted to begin by April, Gamesa executives have said.

The 204,000-square-foot factory will be able to support two more lines, if the wind-energy market continues to grow.

Gros Isla was moving his family to the region this week, and was unavailable for comment. In the past, he has said the plant will create 234 jobs within three years.

Filling those jobs remains in the early stages, and there are no application forms available now, Durina said.

JARI is receiving resumes at its headquarters at 111 Market Street from those applying for management or supervisory positions.

The group will not screen management applicants, but will forward them to Durina, said Debi Balog, JARI workforce development director.

Another agency, Cambria County CareerLink state employment office in Johnstown, will hold a job fair for production jobs and will do the initial screening of applicants, Durina said.

"When CareerLink puts the ad in the newspaper for the event, we expect applicants to come in and go through the initial screening," he said.

"There's no point in sending an application anywhere now, because if they do, it will just lie around for a few months." At the construction site, the contractor is from out of town, but is using local subcontractors. As many as 500 temporary construction jobs are expected to be created by the project.

State funds of $9.3 million are helping to pay for the plant, expected to cost more than $25 million.

Gamesa also has committed to building its U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia.

A strong wind-energy market, boosted by a new federal tax credit for wind production, solidified Gamesa's decision to build here, Gros Isla has said.

Gamesa generates electricity from wind energy by running wind farms and manufacturing wind turbines.