I want to alert the people of Farmington that a wind power ordinance will be up for vote at the town meeting on Monday evening, March 19. It ought not to pass as written. It would not protect town residents from some of the noisome aspects of wind power.
The current ordinance would allow commercial sized wind turbines, such as the 750 kwatt, 250-foot high turbines which were being proposed for the Bailey Hill area, to be erected 262.5 feet from a neighbor’s property line. It would allow noise levels at the property line to average 60 decibels –the equivalent of having people talking at your bedside all night long, only worse since the low frequency noise of windmills carries and penetrates further. Your sleep and health would be disturbed, and your property value drop.
Farmington needs a wind power ordinance. It should allow a property owner or developer to follow the guidelines, put up a windmill, and be a “good neighbor”. It should protect citizens from the downside of someone else’s economic venture.
Learn more before the town meeting. Review a report developed for a town in Michigan by acoustics expert, Robert Rand: http://iiccusa.org/key-impacts/noise/. (Browse the web site for other detailed information on windpower) Robert Rand is based in Brunswick, but has consulted on windpower projects across the state. He has helped some neighboring towns develop their windpower ordinances. Check out his web site at: www.randacoustics.com
Farmington needs to vote down the proposed ordinance and tell the selectmen to “fast track” a new ordinance with guidance from an acoustics expert.
Your vote will count. See you on the 19th!
Burt Knapp MD
West Farmington
Why do we need another ordinance? So we can regulate further what a person can do on their property. To pass an ordinance regulating the use of FREE WIND POWER will only benefit the electric power companies.
I can’t believe that in no time at all I got used to the tractor trailor noise that goes by here at my place at all hours.
When people bought their homes on that end of the Davis road, they were drawn to the fact that it was quiet and peaceful. When you go outside at night, you hear nothing but the sound of crickets, owls and cicadas. If there were wind turbines next door the sound would be equivilent to having an industrial air conditioner on at all times.
As anyone in the real estate business will tell you, location is everything. When these homes were valued and bought, it was under the assumption that there was a certain quality if living in that area. I am sure that you can imagine the impact that wind turbines will have on the value of these properties. Will the homeowners be compensated for the difference in value? the answer is no.
You think that there should be no regulation of what you do on your own property?? If i had a party at my house with loud music and people shouting, i am sure that someone would call the cops and i would be asked to quite down. If i was dumping toxic waste in my back yard, i am sure that the EPA would come knocking on my door and tell me to clean it up, and possibly fine me.
Wind power may be a fine solution to alternative energy.. but they are not meant to be in residential neighborhoods. Why cant they put these things somewhere else?? where there are no homes in sight.
This year they want to put wind turbines on the Davis road. Next year it might be in YOUR back yard.
I have my acre and a half lot and all my surrounding neighbors better not even think about cutting down any trees around me on their own property, because when I moved here 12 years ago, they were there and now I have the right to be surrounded by those trees….. after all nothing is ever supposed to change right?
I dont know how you even think that is the same?? Cutting down trees would not effect the value of the properties around it. Wind turbines will. Trees do not make noise. Wind turbines do. Lets not compare apples to oranges here!
My point was that people seem to get in the mind set that nothing is supposed to change around them. On property that does not belong to them. If you want everything to remain the same, go find a thousand acre piece of land and build in the middle of it.
It’s my belief people will use any excuse to try and force those around them to not make any changes just so they can have their little piece of paradise, at the expense of those property owners at that.
Besides, I can compare apples to oranges if I want…. everyone else does it on here ALL the time.
We should at least be asking questions about this ordinance.
~Wind turbines are 40 stories high (10 times higher than any structure in the area)
~Maine already generates OVER what in consumes in electricity–meaning the natural beauty of the area is being sacrificed for southern New England
~Ask questions, WHO is making money off these projects (HUGE amounts of depreciation value and tax incentives, millions and billions of $$)
~How will they be decommisioned AFTER they are no longer useful
~Bats and bird populations in areas surrounding wind farms are being destroyed
~Most of the turbines are manufactured outside the US, they need to be oiled routinely, giant concrete platforms are constructed to house the weight load…what is the carbon footprint?
~Flicker zones are far greater than 600 ft. even very pro wind power organizations suggest 1000-1500 foot setbacks to protect neighbors
~There are murky answers on BOTH sides of the debate, I know how I stand, we all have a voice. Please consider being a steward for nature, the bats won’t be at town meeting.
In a very recent permit application the Farmington planning board took the position that sound could not be measured and can not be used as grounds for adverse effect when a neighbor complained about the project. This is a real shame as now they can’t say that the noise wind turbines create could be used in proving adverse effect and thus be grounds for refusal of a permit.
You don’t have to fear good ordinances, just the people that misapply them. Every ordinace is restrictive by nature, but properly applied it protects both sides of the property line equally.
Truth be known if the federal support was removed from wind projects they would never be able to make a single kilowatt of electricity that could be sold at a competitive price. The same reason gas has to be $5.00 a gallon to make the electric cars semi practical. If the industries weren’t supported by federal dollars, read that as our tax money being wasted. they could never compete in the market.
Just my thoughts, sorry if you don’t agree.
Don’t fall for the hype people.
Tax subsidized wind turbines make investors rich, ship power out of State (Maine generates enough for all of us), and are ineffecient.
The environmental footprint is huge, birds, bats, small mammal and fish are adversly effected.
People are impacted with constant downlight shadow flicker and thelow frequency buzzzzzzz that in 24/7, 365 x how mant years until the monstrosities are obsolete and left to sit atop our hills and mountains?
In Maine, our panoramic vistas will be the economic engines of the future. Wide open, natural resources are becoming increasingly rare in this world- If Maine can keep as much of it in unspoiled condition as possible- people will flock here and spend money….to get away from New Jersey, Conneticut, Massachutes etc.
Believe me, no one hates dependency on foriegn oil more than me, but wind power is not the solution- it is a pittance and to actually significantly impact production, the scale would have to be massive.
Thats my opinion
What makes us Unique?
Things that woould make folks want to come here?
Things that would make people vacation HERE?
NOT Unsitely Impractical Wind Turbines…
These ugly things are seen all over,,,,,Nothing Unique about them,,,,,They are just Ugly.
Something people want to get away from.
We dont want or need them here.
NOPE!!!
it only takes one sentence to state in a report that there are no ill health effects on people from
low infra sound. the world health organization (WHO) report is over one hundred pages.
google that. (bruce, read ’em and weep)
So Whomp Whomp, just like everyone that has a complaint about something, you manage to find something on the internet that supports your side. Because there seems to be something available to everyone no matter how ridiculous their position, I prefer to look at things such as this with an open mind and a little common sense. I will listen to both sides of the issue and will adjust accordingly. Nothing I’ve heard from those railing against wind mills thus far has changed my mind.
I won’t argue the fact that wind mills don’t have any negative effects. But answer me this, if you want to prevent wind mills on the basis of the noise emanating from them, shall we shut down every factory that generates noise above say 40 decibels, maybe 60 or how about 80? Do we close down airports, railroads and prevent 18 wheelers from traveling the highways because of the noise they generate? I’m pretty a lot of people quiet peaceful homes are interrupted by those noisy things.
Dangerous to wildlife, probably so, but probably no more so than vehicles on the roads or your little kitty in the back yard stocking the bird feeder.
Does it change the views of the mountains, definitely? Have you personally gone and viewed the wind mills? I’ve seen both the ones on Kibby Mt and Roxbury. I find them amazing to watch, I know, that’s just me. I view it this way, if all the obstructionists continue with saying no to everything that is tried to produce power with alternative means; we won’t be able to continue to view those mountains anyways because of the increasing pollution will be blocking the views. In addition, take a look at those mountains from a different perspective, from the air. Just go to Google earth or similar website and look at those pristine mountains from that vantage point. They are criss crossed with hundreds and hundreds or logging roads and twitch roads. Hundreds of years of logging have scarred them, but guess what, they grow back and so will the areas that have had major construction for the wind mills.
Don’t like the subsidies? What new business doesn’t get some type of government handout these days? From the hotel in Wilton to the Nestle plant in Kingfield to the project they are trying to do with gas across Maine it’s all financed with your tax dollars to some degree, it’s called TIF’s.
I know for the most part this will go through one ear and out the others for anyone dead set against wind mills. Try this, instead or ranting and raving about why we shouldn’t have them, come up with a better idea. I dare you….
Oh, and whomp whomp, nice name did you get that in grade school and it just kinda stuck?
So (ahem,,,,,) Bruce,,,
Are you saying because clearcuts in the past have grown back up that means windmills will “somehow” remove themselves???
Bizarre analogy ………..(r u ok?).
I’ve seen plenty of em UP CLOSE and FAR AWAY,,,UGLY BOTH TIMES.
Since you dared me to come up with a better idea,,here is one.
Ready?
Dont Put The Dang Things Up.
That’s a much better idea.
Should I now follow your lead and make fun of your name to show off my intellect also?
I’m guessing you’re just stirring,,stirring because you think it’s fun.
Well it’s a serious issue.(you missed that).
it is a noisy world. it is not the noise. it is the serious, long-term health effects from the noise
that windmills generate.
There are reasons why towns have different zones. Factories are in industrial zones, not in residential zones. Airports are generally not in the middle of a neighborhood either :)
p.s. when all else fails, make fun of their name!