March 29, 2007
New York
New York
Four wind turbines in Oneida County should be up and running by the fall after the Board of Legislators passed a resolution Wednesday night to approve an agreement between the county and Citizens Airtricity Energy for the Munnsville Wind Project.
The turbines will go in southwest Oneida County in Augusta. The county will receive $3,000 a year for the next 15 years for the addition of the turbines as part of the pilot agreement.
The four turbines are part of a 23 turbine project, with the other 19 going in Madison County. Each will generate 1.5 megawatts.
Doug Colbeck, vice president of northeast development for Airtricity, said the turbines will be running in late summer, and fully functioning by the fall.
Cindy DeDominick, Madison Central School District superintendent, expressed concerns about wanting the town and the school district to get part of Oneida County’s cut.
Legislator Kenneth Brewer, R-Vernon, one of the legislators who introduced the resolution, said Augusta and the school district want the $3,000 evenly spilt between them. This would have to be negotiated with County Executive Anthony Picente, and later amended to the resolution if the breakdown were to change, he said.
Brewer said the county did not become part of the project for the money, but rather to show it would like to be involved in other energy conservation and revenue sharing projects in the future.
Legislator Frank Tallarino, D-Rome, was the only legislator who voted down the resolution, and said it was because he wasn’t sure what a fair pilot profit would be.
The project will be exempt from all local and municipal taxes during the term of the pilot agreement.
By Jennifer Fusco
Observer-Dispatch
29 March 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/03/29/county-oks-wind-turbine-pact/