LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Public hearing on wind turbines tonight 

Credit:  By Olga Enger | Middletown Patch | middletown.patch.com 4 September 2012 ~~

Tonight, Middletown will have an opportunity to chime in on one of the most controversial local debates.

A public hearing is scheduled to discuss an ordinance that would amend Article 25A of the Middletown zoning code which would restrict wind turbines in Middletown. The hearing is part of the regularly scheduled meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at Middletown Town Hall.

The motion to draft the ordinance was approved in February after Councilor Chris Semonelli said residents on Mitchell’s Lane complained of flicker, shadow and noise distractions. A neighbor has had a privately owned wind turbine in place for several years.

One lifelong resident, Tracie Spooner, said the turbine on Mitchell’s Lane forced her to move away from the area.

“There is a light humming noise that emanates from the turbines at all times and when the blades are spinning, it is more like a small engine plane flying overhead,” wrote Spooner in a letter to the editor last March. “The flicker effect is extremely annoying, especially if the sun is hitting it the right way; it’s sort of a vertigo effect. I work from home and I had to move my office into the basement in an isolated room to try to avoid the humming noise all day.”

At the last council meeting, Councilor Barbara VonVillas urged the council to wait until after November’s election to debate the issue. She said the town survey has been ignored and interviews with impacted residents were misrepresented.

“I do not think this council would like this to be an election issue,” she said. Vonvillas voted against the original motion in February.

Summary of Proposed Changes to Article 25A

• The proposal prohibits wind turbines in any zoning district except for parcels where the primary use is field crop farms, horticultural nurseries or livestock farms.
• The amendment removes the wording for small, medium and large tower wind turbines. The proposal limits all building-mounted tower-mounted wind turbines to 120 feet in height.
• The fall zone, which is currently 125 percent of the turbine’s height, would increase to 175 percent. The fall zone is defined as “the calculated area of the land surrounding a wind turbine that may be affected by debris should the supporting structure collapse or any component of the wind turbine or anything attached to it fall to the ground.”
• The proposed setback is three times the height of the turbine.
• A maintenance schedule and a report demonstrating compliance with the maintenance schedule would be required.
• The proposal would require there is no shadow or flicker to neighboring properties. The current code states those nuisances should be “minimized.”
• The amendment would prohibit the noise level to exceed 30dB.
• The proposal adds language to conduct an environmental impact analysis and well as ensure the turbine does not interfere with telecommunication transmissions.

Source:  By Olga Enger | Middletown Patch | middletown.patch.com 4 September 2012

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon