Editor:
Does anyone in Orangeville believe the Town Board is working for them? On Sept. 23 at the Town Hall it was obvious that we are being represented by a lawyer, not the Town Board. The wind turbine law that was voted on specifies that 450-foot turbines can be built 700 feet from your property line and 1,320 feet from your residence. Approximately 200 residents filed petitions objecting to these setbacks for health and safety reasons. Hundreds of residents attended the public hearing in May and gave monumental documentation regarding health and safety concerns pertaining to noise impacts and inappropriate setbacks. The Town Board took no significant action.
The Town Board paid thousands of dollars to a consulting firm who recommended that standards regulating noise for wind farms be modified to include more stringent requirements including standards for low-frequency noise. The Town Board took no significant action. (The standard remains 50dBA at your residence and not your property line. Go to Sheldon and try sitting in a tree stand 700 feet from a turbine.)
On Aug. 4 the town attorney strongly recommended to the Town Board that they take a hard look at noise impacts and remarked that as the noise standard in the law stood he could not defend the Town Board in court regarding this issue. The Town Board took no significant action. Failure to have proper standards puts people at risk and exposes the town (taxpayers) to legal liability from individuals, groups, corporations and governmental agencies.
The Town Board was provided with examples of incentive zoning laws that would allow the town to negotiate with developers to fund infrastructure projects (roads), fund a Town Park that could be connected to the Lodge on Royce Road by hiking trails or snowmobile trails, etc., or any other project that would benefit all residents of Orangeville. Former Town Board member Donnelly was the only one that commented and read what was presented. The Town Board took no action.
An agreement signed on May 14, 2008, between Noble Wind and the Wyoming County IDA specifies that Orangeville would receive a portion of an annual $204,000 payment in lieu of taxes for the Noble transmission line and switchyard in Orangeville. The Town Board took no action. In fact they did not attend the public hearings nor did they participate in the negotiations. To date Orangeville has not received a penny.
The New York State Model Ordinance for wind turbines speaks on the need for towns to consider district overlays to provide a Town Board with the power to restrict location and number of turbines to appropriate locations in the town as stated in the Orangeville Comprehensive Plan. A copy of a district overlay amendment from the Town of Leicester was provided to the Town Board. Invenergy continues to request 142.5 megawatts for the Orangeville project (divide 142.5 megawatts by 1.5 megawatt turbines and this indicates 90 turbines) A quick internet search shows how Invenergy begins phase II projects once they have turbines in place and the town has no way to stop them. The Town Board took no action.
If you want a Town Board that will represent and work hard for all residents vote Nov. 3.
Steve Moultrup
Orangeville
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