Photo by Tom Rivers: A wind turbine is pictured on the Tug Hill Plateau in northern New York. Barre is proposing an ordinance to allow turbines that would be up to 700 feet in height.

BARRE – The Orleans County Planning Board last week voted in support of the Town of Barre proposed changes to its ordinance for wind turbines, including increasing the maximum height from 500 to 700 feet.

That change would accommodate Apex Clean Energy, which is proposing 33 wind turbines that would be a maximum 680 feet high.

If approved and built, the 184.8 megawatt project known as Heritage Wind would connect to the New York State electrical grid via an interconnection substation that would be constructed within the town along the existing National Grid Lockport-to-Mortimer 115 kV power line.

The Planning Board voted on the ordinance, and the specifics of the Heritage Wind project. County planners last Thursday recommended Barre approve the proposed ordinance. There was little discussion about the amendments.

Town Supervisor Sean Pogue described the changes as “tightening things up” in the existing code.

“What we’ve requested is more strict than what the state has,” Pogue said during the meeting, which was conducted through Zoom.

Some of the regulations proposed for the turbines include:

• Setback distances: The zoning amendments establish setbacks from property lines to be at least 1.5 times the tip height of a turbine from any public roadways or above-ground power lines, and that is for non-participating land owners or those without leases for a turbine as well as participating land owners.

For non-participating property owners (those without leases for a turbine company), the turbines would have to have setbacks at least twice the turbine height from the property line.

• Noise: The town’s proposed ordinance states noise shall not exceed 45 dBA of equivalent continuous sound for 8 hours at non-participating structures and 40 dBA at night outside at non-participating structures. The standard is 55 dBA at participating structures and 50 dBA at night for turbines at night on leaseholders’ land.

The turbines or Wind Energy Conversion Systems shall not produce human perceptible vibrations inside any non-participating structures that exceed the limits of residential use recommended in American National Standards Institute.

• Height: can not exceed 700 feet as measured from the base of the unit to the tip of unit’s longest blade. The current ordinance caps the turbine height at 500 feet tip height.

• Roads: Companies are encouraged to use existing roadways as much as possible. If that isn’t practical and a access or new roadway is needed, the turbines should be built in a way so they are level with the surrounding environment.

The wind turbine company is responsible for damages to public roads during the installation or maintenance of the turbines. The company shall post a public improvement bond prior to the issuance of a building permit. The amount shall be determined by the Town Board.

• Shadow flicker: The Wind Energy Conversion System shall be designed so the shadow flicker from each turbine will not fall on a specific area of a roadway or residential structure for more than 25 hours a year. If a turbines exceeds the 25 hours, it “shall be shut down until the offending condition is remedied,” the ordinance states.

• Construction hours: The construction hours will be limited to 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays except in cases of cement pours or component deliveries. Maintenance of the facilities shall be limited to the same time frames, except in cases of emergency.

• Decommissioning: at the end of the useful life or where otherwise necessary an individual turbine may need to be decommissioned or the entire project decommissioned. The applicant or its successors are responsible for decommissioning and all costs associated with it, including removing turbines, blades, nacelles, towers, transformers, above-ground collection cables and poles, permanent meteorological towers and collection substation.

Foundation and collection lines buried less than a depth of 36 inches in non-agricultural lands and less than 48 inches in agricultural lands also must be removed.

The applicant will post and maintain financial assurance in the amount of the net decommissioning costs, on a per turbine basis, to be determined by a qualified, independent engineer, at the applicant’s expense. The net decommissioning cost shall be updated a year after facility operation and then every fifth year thereafter.

• Restoration: The applicant and its successors that may own and operate the project are responsible for restoration and all costs associated with restoring the project site, including agricultural lands and public roads.

The town acknowledges that the state could pre-empt this local law though Article 10 of the NYS Public Service Law and the new 94-C of the NYS Executive Law. The state has a Siting Board to review and approve larger-scale renewable energy projects that exceed 25 megawatts. State officials have said they will try to stay within local laws as much as practical.

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board on Thursday will review the Town of Barre’s revisions to its local law for wind turbines, including setback distances from property lines and houses, and other factors including the maximum height of the structures.

Apex Clean Energy has proposed Heritage Wind, a project with 33 wind turbines that would be nearly 700 feet high at tip height. Those turbines would have the capacity for 5.6 megawatts, making the project 184.8 megawatts.

The County Planning Board offers an advisory opinion on the referrals from local towns and villages. The 7 p.m. meeting will be online through Zoom. Instructions for joining the meeting should be available later this week on the Planning Board’s website page. Click here for more information.

The Planning Board agenda also includes:

• A request in Barre for site plan approval and special use permit for a diesel/gas powered vehicle repair shop at 4227 Oak Orchard Rd. in the Business District.

• A request in Shelby for an amendment to the zoning text to clarify certain requirements for solar energy systems.

• A request in Gaines for a moratorium to prohibit all battery and energy storage systems for six months.

• A request in Lyndonville to review the site plan for a small ground-mounted 340.8 KW solar energy system at 15 Lynwood Dr. in the Agricultural Residential District.

• In Yates a request to adopt a new zoning ordinance for solar energy.

Press Release, Heritage Wind

BARRE – Apex Clean Energy’s Heritage Wind project has filed its application with the Office of Renewable Energy Siting to transfer its Article 10 permit application to the new Section 94-c permitting process.

Because Heritage Wind’s application was previously deemed complete on December 8, 2020 under the Article 10 process, its transfer application shall also be deemed complete in accordance with Section 94-c.

The comprehensive Article 10 permit application filed for the project consisted of 41 exhibits as well as numerous supporting figures, graphics, and studies. The full application and supplemental materials can be found on the project website at www.heritagewindpower.com.

“Transitioning to the new permitting process will provide both Heritage Wind and community stakeholders more certainty regarding permitting conditions while keeping the commitments we have made to the Town of Barre, Orleans County, and area school districts on host community benefits,” said Carmen O’Keefe, Development Manager with Apex Clean Energy. “We will continue to work together with our local government partners and the community under this new process and look forward to bringing this major economic development opportunity to the region.”

The proposed Heritage Wind project consists of 33 wind turbines to be located within the Town of Barre in Orleans County. If approved and built, the project would generate enough homegrown New York clean energy to power over 45,000 homes. It would also create millions of dollars in economic activity for the Town of Barre and Orleans County, including an estimated $50 million in new revenue for the town, county, and local school districts. The project would also support about 200 construction jobs and up to 6 local full-time jobs once the project is operational.

Under the Section 94-c process, the Office of Renewable Energy Siting is expected to publish draft permit conditions and schedule a public hearing regarding those conditions within 60 days of a transfer application being deemed complete.

Following this hearing and public comment period an adjudicatory process may take place, if deemed necessary. A final determination regarding the project is required within 1 year of an application being deemed complete. For Heritage Wind the anticipated timeline for a permit being issued is January 2022. If approved, Heritage Wind would likely commence construction in 2022 and begin commercial operations in late 2023.

Photos by Tom Rivers

BARRE – Greg Rosato (right), a tree climber from Gaines, is 65 feet up a tree helping to free Melissa Allport of Carlton after she got stuck in the branches next to the Pine Hill Airport this afternoon.

Allport was doing a New Year’s Day jump from an airplane about 10,500 feet up with WNY Skydiving. The group does a popular skydiving event annually to start the year.

This was the 54^th jump for Allport, who is a licensed skydiver. She said her helmet fogged up and she became disoriented in the air. She also was using a larger parachute at 200 square feet and the wind took her into the trees next to the air strip at the airport.

Allport said she learned from the experience and is looking forward to jumping again.

Barre and Clarendon firefighters took a  20-foot-high ladder back into the forested area by the airport. That wasn’t nearly high enough to get Allport. Rosato, a motor equipment operator for the Orleans County DPW, also has run his own tree business the past 25 years.

Firefighters reached out to him at about 1 p.m. Rosato was home and was able to respond.

Rosato used tree climbing spikes to get up to Allport. He threw a rope over limbs above him and tied himself off with his harness in case he slipped. He was able to quickly climb the tree and get to Allport, whose legs were getting numb with the temps in the low 30s.

Allport was already wearing a harness for her parachute. Rosato used a carabiner hook to connect a rope to Allport’s harness. The firefighters had a pulley and they were able to lower Allport through the branches. Rosato helped to guide her as she went down. He used a chainsaw to remove some branches that were in the way.

Melissa Allport thanked the firefighters and wished them a Happy New Year’s Day as she was lowered to the ground.

Barre firefighters say there have been few calls over the years for the skydivers. Tim Allen, owner of WNY Skydivers, has done 9,000 jumps himself. He praised the firefighters and Rosato for their response. They had Allport down in about 45 minutes after the initial dispatch call.

“Greg and the folks at Barre Fire Department did a great job,” Allen said.

Rosato was also able to get the parachute out of the tree, by cutting a few branches.

Greg Rosato said he was happy he could help today.

Once Allport was safe and back in the clubhouse, other skydivers were ready for their jumps at about 10,500 feet.

BARRE – The Orleans County Planning Board met this evening and recommended the Town of Barre extend a moratorium on applications for solar energy installation systems by another six months.

The town’s moratorium is to expire this month, said Tom Keeler, a member of both the county and Barre planning boards.

Barre wants more time to put a policy in place for battery storage systems for larger-scale solar projects.

Barre is looking at what other towns have done for regulated the battery storage systems for the projects, Keeler said.

The County Planning Board also voted on two other referrals from Barre:

• Barre Zoning Change – Expanding General Business District: The County Planning Board recommended the Town of Barre amend its zoning map to expand the B-General Business District along Route 98, within and south of Barre Center, Maple Street in Barre Center and West Lee Road to the west of Route 98.

The changes make the town’s zoning in line with the town’s comprehensive plan and will guide future development in the town, county planner said.

• Barre Zoning Change – Residential-1 to Agricultural Residential District: The County Planning Board supported Barre’s proposal to amend the zoning map to rezone the R-1 District to the AR District. This will be allow the town’s zoning map to be in line with the town’s comprehensive plan.

The majority of the R-1 District will change to Agricultural-Residential except for those along Route 98 from Route 31A south to West Barre Road, except for the existing Business District; and a small portion of Route 31A west, starting at the Light Industrial District.

The intention of the change is to “retain the small town atmosphere and rural character of Barre,” town officials said in the referral to the county.

Provided photos

BARRE – The Barre Volunteer Fire Company took Santa on 28 stops around town today for the sixth annual Santa Express.

People dropped off gift-wrapped presents at the firehall and those gifts were then delivered by firefighters and Santa.

Santa and the Barre firefighters took Covid precautions on the tour today, by not allowing children on the fire truck or to sit on Santa’s lap. Santa wore a mask, delivered the presents and posed for photos with the kids who also wore masks.

The fire company wants to spread holiday cheer. The Santa Express also is a fundraiser for the fire company with families giving a suggested $30 donation for a visit from Santa.

Here are some more photos from the Santa Express:

Photos by Tom Rivers

BARRE – About 20 tractors and trucks were decorated in lights for the third annual Barre Lighted Tractor Parade. The procession started on East Barre Road at the Van Lieshout farm and headed north on Route 98 to the Barre Town Park.

This group of tractors includes one driven by Kurt Dudley in center.

Mike Van Lieshout lead off the tractor parade with a message, “A Barre Merry Christmas To All.” The event was organized by the Barre Betterment Committee.

These kids, the grandchildren of Richard Bennett, enjoy the ride with Frosty on a display for A.L. Bennett & Sons.

Shaw Farms in Byron joined the parade, which included trucks, tractors and smaller all-terrain vehicles.

Gallagher Hill Trucking in Albion had a lot of lights on their display.

A lineup of tractors is in the staging area at the Van Lieshout farm.

This farm offered a tribute to a Holstein cow.

This year’s parade included more spectators along the route than last year, when a near blizzard broke out. Today’s parade had a sprinkle of rain with temperatures at about 50 degrees. Many of the spectators watched from vehicles parked by the road with their windows down.

Santa made a joyful appearance in the parade.

District could receive up to $201,600 in first year, plus another $50K in one-time payment

BARRE – The Albion Board of Education agreed to a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with the developers of Heritage Wind, a deal that would bring up to $201,600 in the first year, plus 2 percent in annual increases.

Apex Clean Energy, the developers of the project, also offered a $50,000 one-time payment to be paid within 15 days of when construction of the project is done. The company is proposing to build 33 turbines with a 5.6 megawatt capacity of 184.8 megawatts total.

The company has offered $9,000 per megawatt annually to be shared among taxing entities in a PILOT or community host agreement.

Barre has opted out of a PILOT and instead is trying to negotiate a host community agreement. That way Barre will get a majority of the revenue from Apex. With a PILOT, the money tends to be divvied up based on the tax rates of the municipalities. With that approach, the school district would get the largest percentage with Barre getting less than the school and county.

With the PILOT agreement, Albion would receive $1,091.91 per megawatt annually or $201,600. One of the 33 turbines also is proposed to be in the Oakfield-Alabama school district, which would receive $34.09 per megawatt or $6,300 annually.

Orleans County would receive $1,125 per megawatt for $207,900 in the first year, with 2 percent annual increases to follow.

Heritage also agreed to $50,000 to the school district for a one-time “Heritage Wind Renewables Ecology, Clean Energy, and Sustainability Scholarship and Education Support Fund.” The money is to be spent at the discretion of the district. It could be used for scholarships, science fairs, student research projects, financial support for faculty in renewable energy field, a STEM lab or “however the district deems fit.” The $50,000 is to be paid within 15 days after completion of the project.

The Board of Education accepted the terms of the PILOT on Monday, with the understanding the BOE isn’t stating support or opposition for the project. That decision will be left to the town and the state, the BOE said.

“Approving these resolutions does not mean that the district is in favor or against the construction of the wind mills,” the BOE stated in its resolution. “The district has made it very clear that this is a decision to be made by the people in the Town of Barre and the State of New York. These are just procedural items necessary in order to be included in the distribution of funds if this project does move forward.”

The Albion school district had a tax levy of $8,449,094 for the 2020-21 school year. The $201,600 would represent 2.4 percent of the school taxes.

For the county, the tax levy in 2021 is $18,309,497. The $207,900 for the county represents 1.1 percent of the county taxes.

The revenue for Barre would make a much bigger difference in the town taxes. Barre’s 2021 budget calls for a tax levy of $1,108,566.

Apex has offered the local taxing jurisdictions $9,000 per megawatt annually. If the project is built as proposed at 184.8 megawatts that would be $1,663,200 in total annual revenue.

The PILOT includes first year payments of $207,900 for the county, $201,600 for the Albion school district and $6,300 for Oakfield-Alabama – $415,800 total. Subtracting that from $1,663,200 might leave $1,247,400 for Barre, which would more than wipe out the town taxes. (The terms for the Barre host community agreement haven’t been publicly disclosed.)

Heritage Wind officials will discuss the proposed project for Barre during a virtual public meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Click here for more information.

BARRE – The Town of Barre will hold a public hearing today at 6 p.m. for its proposed ordinance on wind energy projects.

The Town Hall is closed to the public due to Covid-19 concerns. People can be part of the hearing by calling (585) 589-5100, enter 5, and then 4321#.

The hearing will also be live on YouTube by clicking here.

Comments and questions can be texted to 588-590-6069, emailed to spogue@townofbarreny.com, the right side of YouTube, or the drop box to the left of the front door.

All comments must be in by the close of business on Dec. 14.  Comments and questions with responses will be posted on the town website.

Provided photos

BARRE – The Barre Betterment Committee hosted a safe Trunk or Treat at the Barre Town Park today with about 100 kids coming out from 2 to 4 p.m.

This is the first time the Betterment Committee hosted the event. There were 12 trunks with candy and treats.

BARRE – The Barre Town Board is reinstating its workshop for 5 p.n. on Oct. 14 at the Town Hall to discuss proposed changes in for wind energy regulations.

The town scheduled a public hearing on Sept. 28 about the changes but cancelled that so neighboring towns and counties could be notified that Barre was considering changes in the zoning.

Barre is expected to set a new date for the public hearing at the Oct. 14 meeting.

Among the revisions proposed include increasing the maximum height of a wind turbine, from tip height, to 700 feet. The town currently sets the limit at 500 feet.

Apex Clean Energy is proposing wind turbines that would be a maximum 680 feet high as part of a 33-turbine Heritage Wind project in Barre.

The zoning amendments also would set the setbacks from property lines to be at least 1.5 times the tip height of a turbine, and that is for non-participating land owners or those without leases for a turbine.

The zoning changes also would revise standards for noise levels for wind turbines, shadow flicker and construction hours. The town also is looking to add requirements for aircraft detection lighting and for decommissioning of the turbines.

The meeting on Oct. 14 will be limited to nine individuals or resident groups (husband and wife) to allow for social distancing, said Sean Pogue, the Barre town supervisor.

People can also call (585) 589-5100 to listen in on the discussion. Callers should press 5 and when asked then press 4321.

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BARRE — The town has canceled a public hearing scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Barre town highway garage, 14317 West Barre Rd.

Town Supervisor Sean Pogue said the hearing will instead be in late October. That date will be set at the Oct. 14 Town Board meeting.

Pogue said the hearing needed to be pushed back so neighboring towns and counties could be notified that Barre was considering changes in the zoning.

Among the revisions proposed include increasing the maximum height of a wind turbine, from tip height, to 700 feet. The town currently sets the limit at 500 feet.

Apex Clean Energy is proposing wind turbines that would be a maximum 680 feet high as part of a 33-turbine Heritage Wind project in Barre.

The zoning amendments also would set the setbacks from property lines to be at least 1.5 times the tip height of a turbine, and that is for non-participating land owners or those without leases for a turbine.

The zoning changes also would revise standards for noise levels for wind turbines, shadow flicker and construction hours.

The town also is looking to add requirements for aircraft detection lighting and for decommissioning of the turbines.

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Press Release, Apex Clean Energy, Heritage Wind

BARRE – Heritage Wind and Apex Clean Energy are pleased to announce eight Orleans County-based organizations as the recipients of Heritage Wind Community Grant Program funds from the program’s Summer 2020 grant cycle.

These grants, which ranged from $250 to $3,500, are designed to support community organizations in the following areas: Building Healthy Communities, Economic Development, Environmental Sustainability, and Promoting Education.

“These local organizations are doing amazing work. We are both thankful and proud to support them as they provide important services to the community during these challenging times,” said Carmen O’Keefe, Development Manager with Apex Clean Energy.

Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance received a grant to help improve the health and well-being of their emergency responders and staff through upgrades to the living quarters within their base in Albion.

“On behalf of Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance, we would like to thank Apex Clean Energy for the generous grant funding. This grant will allow COVA to update our ambulance base to a more suitable space for our pre-hospital providers serving this community,” said Brandi Fisher, Finance Manager for COVA EMS.

The Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension received grants to support both the construction of the Orleans County STEM Hub, which will be dedicated to year-round STEM activities for Orleans County youth, as well as ongoing 4-H programming.

“We are extremely grateful for the support,” said Robert Batt, Executive Director of the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension. “This is a tough year for many reasons, and we have some amazing projects that have been years in the making. In a time of unknowns, support from our community is how we can keep our favorite traditional programs strong and grow into new areas.”

Both the Hospice of Orleans and the Medina Central School District received grants to assist with the purchase of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) for their front-line staff.

“The MCSD is grateful for the grant from Heritage Wind for the purchase of clear masks to assist our teachers in their challenging role this fall. We value your community support and thank you for your help,” said MCSD Superintendent Mark Kruzynski.

Other grantees include the Barre Volunteer Fire Company for investing in new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) emergency response technology, Christ Church Community Kitchen to help with the purchase of a new freezer and refrigerator to meet increased needs, The Arc of Genesee Orleans to support their Orleans Enterprises vocational program, and the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum to help offset revenue losses due to Covid-19.

One of Heritage Wind’s long-standing priorities is to be a strong community partner, working with local governments, area businesses, and non-profits to improve people’s lives across the region. Our community grant program is one way that we can contribute to pressing community needs and make a meaningful impact at the local level.

Heritage Wind and Apex Clean Energy intend to open an additional round of grant funding this Fall to be awarded before the end of the year. Click here for more information.

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