December 1, 2016
Michigan

Mason County wind turbine fails gloss test: Not in compliance with permit, commission says

By Brooke Kansier, Daily News Staff Writer | Ludington Daily News | November 30, 2016 | www.shorelinemedia.net

SCOTTVILLE – For four years, the Ray family has shut their blinds, drawn a shade or moved to a different room as they live with a strong glare coming off Lake Winds Energy Park turbine No. 28 coming through their windows.

It’s wrong, argued attendees of Tuesday night’s meeting of the Mason County Planning Commission, where the results of paint gloss testing of turbine No. 28 were reviewed.

The commission agreed.

The gloss testing, conducted in October, found that multiple parts of the turbine were not in compliance with agreed upon limits for the turbine’s gloss level. That’s after four years of weathering which has dulled the turbine’s sheen.

“We have an ordinance, a set of standards they clearly didn’t meet. Even though we’ve seen a decrease in the gloss units, I think we need mitigation,” said Commissioner Janet Andersen. “(Residents are) still dealing with this. Something needs to be done.”

After some discussion at the project’s three-year-review in the spring, the commission chose to pursue testing of paint samples on the upper portions of the turbine. Those samples tested above approved limits – as high as 44 and 36.1 gloss units.

“So the board needs to decide what to do going forward,” Reilly said. “I guess that’s the big one. Do you want to require mitigation for any of the turbine, and if so, what parts?”

See the full story in Wednesday’s Ludington Daily News, print or eEdition.

[rest of article available at source]


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/12/01/mason-county-wind-turbine-fails-gloss-test-not-in-compliance-with-permit-commission-says/