February 27, 2013
Massachusetts

Turbines bother others in town to varying degrees

February 21, 2013 | www.southcoasttoday.com

FAIRHAVEN – The Board of Health had received 401 complaints about the wind turbines from 52 households as of Tuesday, Feb. 19.

Health Agent Patricia Fowle said the last time she heard from Laurel Carlson of the Department of Environmental Protection about when the sound tests she is conducting will be completed, “She still had one more sampling to take. I don’t think that’s been accomplished as yet.”

Like Linda Kellish, featured in the accompanying story on this page, not everyone who has filed a complaint has attended a town board meeting.

For example, when asked about the turbines, Erica Gaudreau of 5 John St., who was taking her garbage out a few weeks ago, said, “They don’t bother me noise wise. I just worry about the long term effects because I have kids. I worry more about them than myself.”

Ms. Gaudreau said she’s read about “subconscious” effects from the wind turbines.

As for the noise, she said she hears it when other sounds die down – like on Sunday mornings when she is trying to sit on the porch.

“It’s quite annoying. Sometimes you can hear the noise from the wind and sometimes you can hear the motor noise. I guess it depends on which way it faces.”

Visually they do not bother her because, although fairly close to her house, they are blocked by trees.

Ms. Gaudreau said she did call to submit a complaint to the Board of Health “once or twice just to let them know that they do bother us.”

On the plus side, she said, “It doesn’t seem to bother the dogs,” which she was concerned about.

She said she has seen “glare” or the flicker effect from the blades on the bike path but not in her house.

While Ms. Kellish said she was bothered most in the summer when she wanted to leave her windows open, after a health board meeting in January, Carolyn Young of Pierce’s Point said, “My father hasn’t slept in months, since the leaves have come down.”

As quoted in the Jan. 10 Advocate, she said, “I’m not sleeping as well. I put head phones on. It’s just horrible.”

She said her mother, a nurse who worked the night shift at a hospital, was bothered by them, too, and relishes the times when they aren’t operating.

“My mother will come home at 11:30 or 12 p.m. and stand outside because they’re off and it just feels better,” Ms. Young said.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/02/27/turbines-bother-others-in-town-to-varying-degrees/