Monday, April 02, 2007

Town haggles over wind rules by Patricia Breakey

The Meredith town and planning boards met Thursday to discuss wind-power regulations, but the supervisor said at least two more meetings were needed to finalize an ordinance.

At the meeting, the boards went into executive session without a reason given by Town Attorney Rosemary Nichols, said Supervisor Frank Bachelor.

About 80 people attended the joint meeting at the Delaware County office building, officials said.

Bachler said the purpose of the joint meetings is to have Planning Board members explain the rationale behind the regulations they have written.

"We need to find direction," Bachler said.

Last month, the Meredith Town Board approved a three-month extension of its yearlong moratorium on industrial-scale wind turbines. The original moratorium was scheduled to expire this month, Bachler said.

Keitha Capouya, Planning Board chairwoman, said the planning board has spent almost a year researching industrial-scale turbines. She said the research focused on wind power in Europe and that it found two of the biggest concerns are noise and shadow flicker from the moving blades.

"Our job is to worry about the citizens of this town and any damage that wind power might cause," Capouya said. "Industry that comes into the town has to meet the town’s standards. You can be sure we will address everybody’s concerns and the concerns of the town."

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