The 18 or so people who attended a recent Town Board meeting hadn’t come for a discussion on the pros and cons of wind farms, but Supervisor Frank Duserick wasn’t about to waste an opportunity.
After discussing the specifics of Ecogen LLC’s planned Prattsburgh wind farm, he turned to the attendees.
“I’ve always wanted to ask a lot of people in the town, ‘What do you think about them?’” he told the audience.
Lest anyone think a wind company has designs on Naples, Duserick added, “No one’s approached us yet.”
Still, he said, it’s prudent to be prepared should wind developers express interest in building wind farms in Naples.
“We have hills,” he later said. “It could happen. ... We have to be aware of the implications. There are bad implications, and there are good implications.”
Some residents at the meeting questioned the benefits of such a project, citing concerns that property values may fall near industrial windmills. They also noted that a wind project would create a rift in the community between supporters and those who oppose the development.
Councilman Roger Riesenberger pointed out that there are plenty of times when the wind isn’t blowing, making it questionable how much power the turbines may actually produce.
If a wind farm comes up for consideration in Naples, Councilman Mark Adams said the town should look into a pro-rated lease arrangement. Under such an agreement, developers would compensate not only the landowners from whom property is leased to erect a windmill, but also surrounding property owners based on a ratio of how close they are to a turbine.
Property owners’ rights would be a major area of focus, Duserick agreed.
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