BARRE — The Barre Town Planning Board is working to revise the town’s wind energy ordinance, and may make changes to allow turbines taller than the current 500-foot limit. The setbacks from houses and property lines may also be increased.

Apex Clean Energy is proposing a project with 47 turbines. The company wants them to be 600 feet tall at maximum tip height, Ben Yazman, the Apex project manager, told the Planning Board on Monday.

That would be nearly 200 feet taller than most of the turbines in Wyoming County. The Barre turbines also would likely generate 4.2 megawatts per turbine, more than double the power from the models from a decade ago. (The 75 turbines in Sheldon, Wyoming County, that were constructed in 2009 produce 1.5 megawatts each.)

Barre adopted its wind ordinance in 2008 when a different developer was looking at the town for a project that didn’t end up materializing. Apex has proposed some revisions to the ordinance “to modernize the technological standards of the law, and also continue conversations with the town about the details of the wind farm we are working to develop in Barre,” Yazman said.

The town ordinance supports wind energy development, “but it was crafted over a decade ago based on a different set of technical standards that have changed since that time,” he said. “The ordinance also contains some technical ambiguity that is worth reexamination by the board.”

Barre residents concerned about the project also have submitted suggestions that call for far greater setbacks than the current town law.

The Planning Board, led by Chairman Tom Keeler, has set a Nov. 1 deadline for people to submit suggestions about possible changes in the ordinance. Kerri Richardson, president of Clear Skies Above Barre, said the group will be submitting many proposals for the town ordinance. Those suggestions are designed to protect all residents, including the leaseholders, from negative impacts of the turbines.

“Setbacks and noise are our biggest concerns,” she said. “Those are the two things we feel need to be changed to protect the citizens of Barre.”

Keeler said the Planning Board will work to have a revised ordinance to present to the Town Board by Jan. 1. That proposal, if accepted by the Town Board, will be subject  to review by the Orleans County Planning Board and also a public hearing in Barre.

The setbacks are one of the biggest issues for the town to consider, Keeler said.

The current ordinance says the turbines need a property line setback of at least 1.5 times the tip height. That is for the property lines where the turbine is located.

The current ordinance also says the turbines need to be at least 1,000 feet from any existing residential or commercial building.

These 410-foot-high turbines were constructed this year in Arkwright, near Fredonia, in Chautauqua County. This photo was taken on Saturday. That project includes 36 turbines.

Apex has agreed to 1,500 foot setbacks from residential buildings. Yazman also suggests 1.5 times the tip height for setbacks from property lines for non-participating property owners, or landowners without an Apex lease.

A bigger setback would push many of the turbines in the middle of corn fields, he said. Having a smaller setback would allow farmers and landowners to have turbines in hedgerows, Yazman said.

Richardson of Clear Skies says the setbacks should be six times the turbine height. That would be at least 3,600 feet or more than a half mile for 600-foot-tall turbines.

John Metzler, a vocal critic of the project, said the setbacks should be even greater than what Richardson suggested.

“They need to be a mile away for people to be unaffected by these monoliths,” Metzler said. “We’re trying to protect the health and safety of residents, and the property values.”

Kirk Mathes, a member of the Planning Board, also is a leaseholder with Apex. He asked Yazman if the larger setbacks would, in effect, kill the project.

The larger setbacks, at six times the turbine height, would result in fewer turbines and may not make it economically feasible for the developer, Yazman said.

Mathes was chided by resident George McKenna for speaking as an advocate for the project. Mathes, because he stands to gain financially, shouldn’t participate in discussions about the project.

Keeler said the town attorney, Lance Mark, said two of the board members, Mathes and Jean Peglow, can’t vote on the project because it would be a conflict of interest but Mark said they can participate in discussions.

Mathes said he was simply asking a question that everyone was wondering, if the bigger setbacks would derail the project.

Metzler also told Mathes he shouldn’t be speaking at the meetings because of his lease with Apex.

“From the start you’ve done nothing but help Apex,” Metzler told him during the meeting.

• Apex would like to see the maximum impact for shadow flicker increased from 25 hours a year to 30. The 30 hours is the standard for the industry, Yazman said.

If the shadow flicker gets close to exceeding the limit, he said the turbines can be curtailed during those times to reduce or stop the flicker.

In that case, Richardson of Clear Skies said no shadow flicker should be the goal.

“This is our community,” she told the Planning Board. “The decision is in your hands. If the technology is there to better serve the residents of the Town of Barre, then why not?”

• Apex said the current decibel cap of 45, measured 1,000 feet from the turbine, doesn’t need to be changed. There is a provision where the noise limit can go to 51 decibels 10 percent of the time or 6 minutes an hour.

One resident, Nancy Blank, asked the town to lower the decibel limit to 40.

Yazman said Apex is doing two ambient noise studies and the noise issue will be reviewed by the State Siting Board, which includes the commissioner of the state Department of Health.

• The current ordinance says the turbines need to be decommissioned or removed after 180 days of no use. Yazman said the language should likely be modified because “unused” is ambiguous. It doesn’t necessarily mean the turbine has been shut down permanently.

If there is a malfunctioning turbine, it could take two months or more to have parts shipped and repairs made, he said.

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Kathy Spencer, principal environmental analyst with town consultant LaBella Associates, is assisting the town in navigating the Article 10 process the state uses for reviewing wind turbine projects.

BARRE – Residents met with consultants hired by the Town of Barre to assist the town in reviewing and responding to a preliminary scoping statement filed by Apex Clean Energy.

The company is proposing a 200-megawatt project that could include 47 wind turbines. Apex hasn’t detailed the size of the turbines, but they could top 500 to 600 feet high in the eastern and southern portions of the town.

As part of the PSS, Apex needs to provide $350 for each proposed megawatt to have the project reviewed by the host municipality and other citizens’ groups.

A judge determined Barre would receive $40,000 in intervenor funds and Clear Skies Above Barre would have $30,000. That will allow the groups to hire environmental attorneys and experts to review the Apex submission.

Barre has hired LaBella Associates, a Rochester engineering firm, and Alan Knauf, a Rochester attorney who specializes in environmental issues.

Kathy Spencer, principal environmental analyst with LaBella, said she will help the town identify issues of concern that need to be addressed by Apex in its application. She will also look for gaps in their information that need more detail.

A judge will determine through the stipulations process what studies Apex needs to do to address concerns from the community. If Apex submits a final application, it would be subject to public hearings and would also go before a seven-member Siting Board in Albany as part of the new Article 10 process. Only one wind turbine project has made it through the Siting Board, a project in Chautauqua County that is currently under construction.

“Article 10 is a brand new process,” Spencer said. “There is really a very slim record to understand and try to predict what will happen.”

The Town of Barre has $40,000 in intervenor funds and Clear Skies Above Barre has $30,000. Those funds from Apex allow Barre and Clear Skies to hire environmental attorneys and experts to review the Apex submission. Barre’s consultants met with about 50 people Wednesday in the Barre highway garage.

The seven-member Siting Board has five state representatives including the chairman of the Department of Public Service, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, commissioner of the Department of Health, chairman of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and the commissioner of Economic Development.

Two local residents will also be on the Siting Board. So far, Robin Nacca has been appointed. She lives on Route 98. Her property is adjacent to land that has been leased for a possible turbine. She has established Know Your Facts USA, seeking to provide truthful data about wind turbines.

Nacca said the local community can provide lots of feedback about the project, and the Siting Board doesn’t want to approve a project that is unwanted in the host community.

One Barre resident, Cindy Burnside, took issue with the loss of local control in siting the projects. She said Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pushing his agenda on the rural communities.

“I have a problem with the government shoving it down our throats,” she said.

Burnside is a long-time local real estate agent. She said the turbines will depress property values in Barre, and make the town less attractive for residents.

Sue Webster, another person who works with real estate, said potential residents in Barre are holding off on buying property because they want to wait and see if the turbines are approved. If the project goes forward, Webster and Burnside said home values could take at least a 20 percent hit.

They want Apex to include a study on how large-scale wind projects affect the local real estate market.

Kerri Richardson, president of Clear Skies Above Barre, urged the Town Board to update its zoning for wind turbines, increasing setbacks from houses.

Spencer of LaBella has worked with communities on reviewing other wind turbine projects. She said issues typically raised by residents include setbacks from turbines, visual impacts, public health and safety issues, damage to town roads and infrastructure during construction process, visual impacts, decommissioning, and a complaint resolution procedure for residents to share concerns during construction and operation.

Spencer said many of the environmental concerns are addressed by the DEC. She said that state agency puts the developers through a rigorous process.

“The DEC is going into extreme depth for what they’re looking for,” she said. “The state agencies are asking for extremely detailed studies, the likes of which I’ve never seen before, if that brings any comfort to you.”

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BARRE – Recent town meetings have included many outspoken critics of a proposed wind energy project in the Town of Barre.

Residents have shared their concerns that up to 47 wind turbines will cause property values to plummet, while endangering wildlife, damaging town roads, blighting the landscape and causing other negative impacts.

But there is support for the project. The town is doing a survey of residents and property owners and the 120 responses so far show about half of the respondents support the project proposed by Apex Clean Energy.

LaBella Associates put together the survey and is compiling the results. The deadline for completing the survey is July 27. Besides residents and landowners, people who live close to Barre in neighboring towns can also weigh in on the issue. Click here to be directed to the survey.

LaBella has been hired by Barre to help the town identify concerns from residents in the Apex project. Kathy Spencer, principal environmental analyst with LaBella Associates, said LaBella will raise those concerns to the developer and state during the application process. She shared during a meeting Wednesday that about half of the respondents so far are in favor of the project.

LaBella also is analyzing the Apex preliminary scoping statement and will dissect an impending application if Apex proceeds to the next stage.

Some of the questions on the survey include:

• What is your attitude towards the Heritage Wind project in Barre? – supportive, neutral, opposed or needs more information.

• Identify locally valuable resources that may be impacted while constructing or operating wind turbines. Please be specific by including location, name (if applicable) and reason(s).

• Which of the following concerns could be significant in the Town of Barre and require a careful evaluation of potential local impacts?

• This question asks to rank the level of the importance – minimal concern, less important, top priority or no opinion/don’t know – for the following: noise from wind turbines, change in rural character, change in views from height of turbines, shadow flicker, loss of agricultural resources or farming inconvenience, negative impact on property value, roadway deterioration, setbacks from property lines and buildings, possibility of health effects due to living near turbines, public safety (due to fire, blade/ice throw, tower collapse, etc.), wildlife impacts (loss of bird and bats, etc.), impacts to TV, cell phone or radio reception, complaint procedure – how the developer will respond and resolve issues, decommissioning and the eventual removal of turbines, and other (please specify).

• The last question asks the respondents to share any additional comments.

Robin Nacca, a Barre resident, has established Know Your Facts USA, seeking to provide truthful data about wind turbines.

She said her group is working to establish its own survey. She welcomed residents to send her potential questions on the survey.

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