Are 33 very tall turbines really what’s best for Town of Barre?

Editor:

To my friends, neighbors, and fellow residents of the Town of Barre. My wife Diane and I moved here in 1985. Our home was a wonderful place to raise our kids, build our business, and enjoy the wonderful country and farming environment.

Since we moved here there were two tries to build a landfill and one attempt at a giant professional go-cart track, all of which were fought to defeat by farmers and residents. Now we are faced with the installation of 33 skyscrapers in Barre.

The wind turbines proposed here are reported to be between 650 and 680 feet tall, although no one seems to know for sure how tall they will really be when they are installed. The Five Star Bank building where I broadcast from in Rochester is 284 feet tall, at 21 stories and you can see that building from 20 miles out.

I asked if any of the Barre Town Board members have actually seen one of these turbines up close and the answer was no. I asked where specifically they would be placed, which brand of turbine would be used, and what monthly or yearly maintenance would need to be performed on the turbines and no one could answer my questions specifically.

I do not have confidence in the Town Board to negotiate and pass on to the residents of Barre the benefits which would make this project a good thing for all of us. Most of us can’t envision a 680’ tall structure unless we see it, and unless I’m wrong, none of the board members has gone to Texas to see the only one reported to exist which is that tall in all of the United States.

For the landowners with leases, it’s all about the money, I get that, but for the rest of us it’s all about preserving the lives we have built here and protecting the land, the view, and the peaceful nature of our town and no amount of money is worth destroying that.

There is no turning back from this project. Once it’s up and running, and has ruined the town of Barre, and your property values have tanked, there will be nothing you can do. Ask yourself, as you enter the town hall to vote next Tuesday: are 33 of these 680-foot tall skyscrapers the best for all of the residents of the Town of Barre, New York?

Win, lose or draw, elections have consequences.

All my best,

Jim Salmon

Barre