Construction of wind turbine OK’d in Bell Acres
Bell Acres council has approved construction of an alternative energy center that will include a 60-foot wind turbine, but not without a few conditions.
Several of the stipulations involve possible noise issues, while others are intended to address residents’ concerns for dozens of great blue herons that nest about half a mile away on the Bell Acres-Economy line.
In a 5-0 vote Monday, council gave the Alternative Energy Center permission to create an 80-by-80 foot display site for three alternative energy products. The demonstration area would include a trailer, one 60-foot wind turbine, another single and slightly different 15-foot model and one 15-panel solar array.
The Alternative Energy Center, a partnership of three local businesses, wants to sell wind turbines mostly for personal/residential use and offer solar panel arrays to larger clients, such as wind farms in Arizona, Karen Foltz, one of the business partners, said previously.
Another partner, Gary Reinert, owns the property where the demonstration site is to be built.
The property, which is zoned light industrial, is located near a concrete plant, a junkyard and a sewage treatment facility.
During a public hearing in October, several residents in the standing-room-only audience voiced concern over the noise the larger wind turbine might produce. In addition, they said they were worried the herons might get caught up in the turbine’s blades.
At the time, project manager Joseph Restelli said the 60-foot turbine should make no more noise than a similar 35-foot model located outside the Economy municipal building.
Also during that public hearing, Bell Acres Councilman Chris Abell, who couldn’t attend Monday’s meeting because of his work schedule, said he spoke with Economy’s police chief and learned there had been no bird kills or noise complaints near his borough’s turbine.
Bell Acres Manager Charles Kulbacki said the conditions the borough is imposing on the site will include requiring the Alternative Energy Center to surround the area with a fence and buffering shrubs; make sure the equipment adheres to the borough’s noise ordinance; turn off the equipment if it violates the noise ordinance or wildlife kills are verified; avoid construction during the herons’ nesting season; and operate the equipment only during regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
By Rachael Conway, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
12 November 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
Some possibly related stories:
- Wind turbine demonstration site raises concern for nesting herons
- Bell Acres considering wind turbine, solar array site
- Bell Acres residents question windmill plan
- Turbine's drawback could be blue heron
- Bell Acres wind turbines would be used more for show
- Noise concerns, bird habitat hold up alternative-energy plans
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