ALLEGANY - Of the 39 people who spoke during Tuesday’s public hearing for the proposed wind-turbine farm in Allegany, 38 spoke out against the project.
The two-hour hearing, held at the Allegany Senior Center on Birch Run Road, was attended by a large number of people from Allegany as well as communities that included Olean, Hinsdale, Humphrey, Limestone and the Bradford, Pa., area.
The event was conducted by the Allegany Planning Board to gather comments from the community regarding the draft environmental-impact statement for the Allegany Wind LLC Project. A 29-turbine commercial wind farm has been proposed for the Chipmonk and Knapp Creek area by EverPower Renewables of New York City.
In opening the meeting, planning-board chairman Bob Phillips reminded the speakers that they had a three-minute time limit to speak. He also told the audience that written comments about the wind farm will be accepted by the planning board until May 3.
Dan Spitzer, a Buffalo attorney who is advising the town board on wind-turbine issues, said the next step after the public hearing is for the planning board to answer the public’s questions and make determinations about the impacts from the wind farm. He said the consulting firm, Conestoga-Rovers and Associates (CRA) of Waterloo, Ontario, also will review comments from the public as well as EverPower’s response to the questions.
“There are two approvals required from this town to construct the project,” Mr. Spitzer said in referring to the planning board and town board’s role in the matter. The town board, however, will make the final decision on whether the project is given the go-ahead to construct.
Those commenting during the meeting included Erick Laine, a resident of Olean and chairman of CUTCO Cutlery Corp. Mr. Laine described himself as an engineer by training and an environmentalist by heart and said the more he has read about the issue, the less certain he is about the wind-turbine farm’s appropriateness in Allegany. Mr. Laine questioned what other energy options may be available in Allegany.
“As these other (energy) options develop and mature ... the people who have wind-turbine technology standing in their yard will be unable to make the shift and will be locked into the huge, noisy and unsightly wind turbines,” Mr. Laine said. “I would be personally opposed to this project and urge the town of Allegany to be extremely cautious in its evaluation of it.”
Ron DeMattio of Allegany was the lone individual who spoke in favor of the wind farm.
Mr. DeMattio said he has studied environmental law and believes a lot of the information provided on the noise and environmental impacts of wind farms is false.
“There is a lot of really bad information being spread around the Web,” Mr. DeMattio said. “I would hope the board would stick with all the effort and energy they put into this, and all the money that has been spent on the studies. And base their decision on that studied information and not hearsay and hysteria.”
Also commenting was Phil Winger, associate vice president of facilities at St. Bonaventure University. Mr. Winger asked that the visual-impact assessment of the project be expanded to include the Four Mile Creek area that can be viewed from campus.
“Arguably, the visual impact here is one of the most publicly significant in the entire region,” Mr. Winger said. “From the campus, there is a direct view of the ridge line and of several turbines from base to tip.”
Alan Henderson of Chipmonk asked the board how it was going to guarantee “the property values, the health and safety and also the noise issues” that might be created by the wind-turbine farm.
Karen Mosman of Chipmonk said her home will have wind turbines built on both sides of the property.
“The health risks from noise, vibration and pollution that have been noticed by people dealing with wind turbines will exist here no matter what EverPower is promising,” Mrs. Mosman said. “Never did I think the officials of Allegany would sell our souls for money.”
Kathy Premo, a fourth-generation resident of Chipmonk, told the board that earlier this week she awoke at 3 a.m. hearing the sounds of a train and whistle located 2 miles from her home. She said the wind turbines will be much closer than that to her home.
“If this goes through, will I be lying in bed listening to wind turbines” during the early morning hours, Ms. Premo asked.
Others who spoke during the evening listed health issues that included post traumatic stress syndrome, and their concerns of how the noise from the turbines could affect them. The planning board also was presented a petition with signatures from Knapp Creek residents who opposed the project.
David and Kathy Koebelin of Allegany both spoke and said they believe the dream home they built on Hawthorne Lane will cease to exist if the wind-turbine farm is built.
“The construction of our home was completed in 2008. Kathy and I spent 25 years trying to get ahead with a goal to eventually build a new home,” Mr. Koebelin said. “Unfortunately, our pursuit of the American dream has lead us straight into the Allegany nightmare.
“We bought into the idea of a development named Woods Edge, not Turbine View,” Mr. Koebelin said.
Jose Sanchez of Chipmonk also spoke and told the board that about a year ago he and his wife received a letter from EverPower questioning them about their well and the need to test the water.
“My question is, ‘Why did they send me this letter?’ Obviously they’re expecting problems to happen to my water,” Mr. Sanchez said. “Who is going to be responsible when there are problems with my water?”
Gus Napoleon of Allegany said he lives in the West Branch area and has a clear view of the ridge line that would host wind turbines. Prior to Mr. Napoleon taking the microphone, his daughter-in-law, Melanie Napoleon, taped 29 paper wind turbines to the back wall of the room, which is a mural depicting the hills of Allegany.
“What disturbs me is, if there is a majority vote on the board, will it be a decisive vote?” Mr. Napoleon said. “Out of five on the board, three (could vote) ‘yes’ against the feelings we heard this evening of 100 or so people here. I mean, we are the people, and the people speak.”
Dr. Bill Jaremko and his teenage daughter, Elizabeth, also spoke during the hearing.
“We have a beautiful area. I didn’t come here by accident. I raised my kids here and it’s a great place,” Dr. Jaremko said. He questioned whether the company building the wind farm will someday go bankrupt, and how the project will deface the rural beauty of the area.
Elizabeth Jaremko told the board that she represents the future of Allegany.
“I hope to raise a family here ... and I hope for many generations to come they will be able to view the beauty,” Elizabeth said.
David McCann, a resident of Pennsylvania, told the board that his area is the “forgotten sector” of the issue. Mr. McCann said he lives on the Pennsylvania side of the Knapp Creek area in question and believes he and his neighbors will be impacted by the wind turbines.
“I’m going to get all that noise coming my way,” Mr. McCann said. “I just hope these people don’t (expletive) on their citizens who oppose this. They can be voted out of office, but they still have to face these people years down the road.”
Marcia Storch, an Olean resident, said she was at the meeting to support her Allegany neighbors.
“I’m here to say to you that it is time for you to listen to your constituents,” Mrs. Storch said. “In our community, and our whole country, people are feeling like they’re not being heard.
“You have moral obligation to listen to (the community) and do as they say,” Mrs. Storch said.
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