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May 8, 2005Turbines generate controversyByRecord-Eagle staff writer GAYLORD - Jack Austin doesn't want 400-foot wind turbine generators near his back yard, nor anywhere else in Otsego County. Austin lives in the Sturgeon River Valley in Livingston Township. Cellular phone towers already pollute the scenic beauty of the area, he said. Enormous windmills will only make it worse. "It's a constant battle to keep the North beautiful. You've got people who are willing to do anything for a dollar," Austin said. The county's planning commission is considering a draft zoning ordinance for wind turbine generators. About 30 people attended a recent commission work session. Some asked questions and offered comments. Otsego Lake Township resident Darcy Lewis told commissioners she believed windmills are beautiful and an important pursuit of renewable energy sources. "We in this country use way more than our share of nonrenewable resources," Lewis said. "We need to look at renewable energy. People complain about gas prices - a nonrenewable resource - but they don't make the connection." Bob Warner of Elmira Township expressed concern about loss of property values and persistent noise from turning blades if wind turbines are constructed near his 40 acres. "If the ordinance passes, I'm gone," said Warner, a lifelong Gaylord resident. "I'll go someplace where I won't have to put up with a windmill." Concerns about the low frequency noise, shadow flicker on neighbors, as well as height and setback restrictions, are addressed in the draft ordinance, said Richard Edmonds, Otsego planning director. "No matter what we do, we'll take every precaution we can to look out for everyone, the rights of property owners, neighboring property owners and the public," Edmonds said. No county landholders have applied for a building permit for a wind turbine generator, nor an anemometer tower to measure wind speeds, but power companies have approached rural residents about installing windmills, Edmonds said. The planning commission will continue to discuss and make changes to the draft ordinance before holding public hearings this summer. If approved, the ordinance must be adopted by the Otsego County Board of Commissioners. The restrictions are apt to change as work continues, Edmonds said. The planning commission will continue to discuss the draft ordinance on May 16.
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