Write-in candidates in Barre continue to have concerns about wind turbines
Editor:
If you are looking for people who truly have your best interests in mind when they serve this community we ask you to please write in George and Iva McKenna.
We have been serving this community volunteering and professionally for decades. We have and will continue to give of our time, energy and resource to serve without being paid by a company that would put 28 of the 625-foot-tall monster fans in our community to put money in their own pockets! I must add with extremely little financially coming back to our community.
The candidates state that this is not about wind turbines or Heritage Wind, but that is because (at least one candidate) is being paid by Heritage Wind. The Heritage Wind project, along with the Hemlock Ridge Solar projects, are probably the biggest changes that will impact all of Barre during the upcoming term.
The Heritage Wind Project would destroy the landscape and beautiful birds we all enjoy, and the hard-earned investments we have put in our homes. Many of us Barre residents would have 6 wind turbines within 1 mile of their home, and they will have to be curtailed for many homes because the project is so poorly sited that homes are predicted to have over the state threshold of 30 hours of flicker (mainly in the morning and in the evening during the summer months when you may be trying to enjoy your home (ours is not one of them) but we have and continue to advocate for those of you who will be impacted)!
Additionally, the acres and acres of trees that are planned to be cleared for this project that help to keep our air clean and provide the oxygen that we need does not benefit anyone.
Yes, the wind turbines would be huge, but they are just the tip of the massive 500-foot blades of concern for our community. Issues of financial concern need to be considered and with the background both George and I have in owning our own business helps us to be financially alert and because of the way that previous boards agreed to the host community agreement, it is solely at the discretion of the Town Board how any funds (although only a fraction of what Heritage Wind had promised when they started pushing this project) are used.
By the way, do you know that for years we have been trying unsuccessfully to get the cost benefit analysis of the bottom line of how much the wind turbines would cost and how much they would earn? Seemingly, they would not save any money or make good amounts of power or the developer would be proud and make it well known!
Even our congressman cannot get the bottom line for us! Who do you think would pay for the cost of the industrial wind turbines….we would! In our power bills and our taxes!
When we started our business and needed a loan, we had to be able to justify the amount we needed to borrow to get the loan which is reasonable, but our government does not feel this is necessary. If you would like any documentation supporting what I have shared above please contact me at 716-474-1865.
Please write in George McKenna and Iva McKenna for the Town Councilmember positions.
Barre matters! You matter in this situation! You obviously do not have to vote for us. Thank God we live in a free country, but at least vote! Let your opinion matter. No matter how you vote we can still be good friends and neighbors.
Take care and God bless you and yours and this nation …..and Go Bills!
Iva McKenna
Barre
