Wind power in Savoy Permit remains topic of debate
SAVOY — The zoning board of appeals heard a lot a questions and answers at Friday night’s public hearing, but reached no conclusions on whether to grant a special permit to Minuteman Wind LLC for its proposed wind farm on West Hill.
For over two hours, the board heard from both representatives of Minuteman Wind and several of the roughly 60 people who had gathered in the fire house. Questions from the board and the public ranged from the condition of the roads Minuteman wants to use for transport to setback distances and even the “flicker” light effect of the five-turbine, 290 acre, 12.5 megawatt wind farm.
Board member Marshall Rosenthal questioned the durability of the roads and their ability to handle the dozens and dozens of truck trips that will be needed to haul all the construction supplies and the turbines.
“I would like you to try to find a route that would minimize the impact to the traffic and wear and tear in the intersection of Upper Loop Road and Chapel Road,” he said.
Minuteman Vice-President Stephen Barrett said the company would be looking to keep the trucks off the road for as long as possible. Since the Savoy Elementary School sits near the intersection, Barrett said they would be securing a police escort for the times when the road would be blocked by the trucks hauling the 162-foot turbine blades.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to avoid the school,” he said. “We’ll be avoiding the pick-up and drop-off times. The problem is we don’t know right now when all the equipment will be delivered.”
He added that the company would be coordinating with the police, highway department and the Selectmen to find times when the transportation would have a minimal effect on the town’s traffic.
Board member Joe Bettis suggested mixing the concrete for the turbine bases on-site to reduce the number of truck trips up and down the mountain.
Minuteman vice-president Steven Weisman said they had looked into constructing their own concrete works on the site but decided against it.
“We were told that no one considers doing that unless they need 13,000 to 15,000 cubic yards of concrete,” he said. “We’re only looking at 2,600 cubic yards. It could run as expensive as a half million dollars with very little benefit to us or the town because the equipment trips to build it would be roughly equal to the trips to truck in that amount of concrete.”
A large point of contention was the setbacks for the five, 425-foot turbines from other property. The town’s bylaw states that the setback should be at least one times the height of the turbine. There was an uncertainty among the board as to whether the setbacks would begin at the base of the turbine towers or from the edge of the blades when they are fully extended. After much debate and confusion, the Minuteman representatives asked that the discussion be tabled until the town’s legal counsel and their own could dissect the language of the town’s bylaw.
Marshall Rosenthal, who thought the setbacks should be 1.5 times the height of the turbine, attempted to give his input on the discussion but was shut down by board chairperson, Susan McGrath.
“They cannot answer the questions on that now,” she said. “We’ve tabled the discussion and you will get a chance to voice your opinion when they’ve returned with more information.”
The board heard from a number of concerned citizens, including some from near-by Hawley — all of whom were very critical of the information being presented by Minuteman.
The zoning board took under consideration several requests to have Minuteman pay for independent engineers and studies into the impact this project will have on the town. They also considered asking Minuteman for a balloon test to show the town exactly what the project will look like on the ridgeline.
Toward the end of the hearing, one of the few positive comments from the audience came from resident Tom Marshall, who implored the town to look beyond the immediate effects of the project on individuals.
“We need to look to the future, and yes, that will mean there is sacrifice,” he said. “I work with children and I can tell you they are very concerned about energy in the future. We need to look at the future and we have to look at our own dwindling tax base.
“We have no industry in town, we do have wind. The ‘not in my back yard” idea does have its place. But we also have to look to the future, the children. Right now we have kids in the school and we might not have a school much longer. Please think about it.”
The board ended the meeting but did not call the hearing to a close. They said they will wait for Minuteman to come back with more of the information they requested and then schedule another hearing before rendering a decision.
By Ryan Hutton
13 April 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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