National Wind Watch: Wind Energy News » Hebron voters to decide on wind-power projects, budget Tuesday

Hebron faces some big decisions at the polls on Tuesday and at Town Meeting Tuesday night, including whether to participate in a study to withdraw from the Newfound Area School District and two articles regarding new wind-power projects.

Polls will be open at the Public Safety Building from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Town Meeting starts at 7 p.m.

Articles 3 and 4 deal with wind-power issues. Article 3 asks residents to adopt the following resolution: “Whereas development of one or more large scale wind farms along the mountain ridge lines visible from town will negatively impact the town’s rural nature, scenic beauty, roads and natural resources, and thus cause negative economic consequences, now be it resolved that the town strongly opposes the development of large wind turbines along the mountain ridge lines, some of which have been proposed to be built on mountain ridges, visible from or directly within the town of Hebron.”

Article 4 is one of several rights-based ordinances regarding wind power projects, two of which have been proposed for in or near Hebron. It establishes a “community bill of rights” and prohibits “the siting of new energy projects that would violate those rights.”

It states that “this community finds that certain commercial energy projects are economically and environmentally unsustainable” and states that “unsustainable energy projects violate the rights of Hebron residents, including our right to make decisions about what happens to the places where we live.”

Article 6 is also on neighboring Bridgewater’s warrant. It asks voters in both towns to direct the school board of the Newfound Area School District to undertake a study of the feasibility and suitability of the withdrawal of Hebron and Bridgewater from the cooperative district. The article is recommended by the selectmen of both towns.

Danbury residents asked for and were given a similar study on the possibility of that town withdrawing from the district last year. Danbury residents were told they would owe the school district an initial payment of $129,000 for investments the district had made in Danbury Elementary School. Residents would also owe about $35,000 a year for the remainder of a 13-year district improvements bond that the town approved while part of the district.

School board officials have said other towns in the seven-town district would likely face a similar debt to withdraw.