Residents Are Airing Concerns

RESIDENTS ARE AIRING CONCERNS
WIND FARM: SOLUTION TO LOCATING PROJECTS NOT MADE AT MEETING
By JUDE SEYMOUR
TIMES STAFF WRITER
CAPE VINCENT -- After almost two hours of discussion, Planning Board Vice-chairman Thomas D. Ingersoll reported that his board had no recommendation about the siting of wind farm projects.
Mr. Ingersoll advocated a setback of 2,500 feet from the riverfront district boundary line. Since the district is defined as ending 1,000 feet past the center line of Route 12E, his recommendation was to prohibit any turbine closer than 3,500 feet from the centerline of the road.

His suggestion was supported by fellow planner George A. Mingle, who said the wind energy farms would provide an economic benefit to the town taxpayers and reduce the state's dependence on fossil fuels.

But member Karen Bourcy supported a recommendation previously offered by Chairman Richard J. Edsall, who recused himself from the vote because he has signed a contract with one of the developers.

Mr. Edsall wants to permit turbine development in the town's agricultural/residential zone, with no setback stipulation, and to ban development in the riverfront and lakefront district. The lakefront district uses County Route 6 as its eastern boundary.

Mr. Edsall made his suggestion again Wednesday, but not, he said, as the planning board chairman. He petitioned to be included on the board's agenda as a private citizen and representative of a community group that has met monthly to discuss wind turbine issues.

Mrs. Bourcy would have found support for her vote from her colleague, Andrew R. Binsley, if the planning board member hadn't left the meeting before a vote was attempted.

Mr. Binsley said he wanted to follow Mr. Edsall's and Mrs. Bourcy's recommendation. After disclosing that six of his relatives have signed contracts with the company, he added, "If some people here would like to say I have no right to speak on this, I will say, 'Thank you. This is America. I will speak.'"

But as Mr. Binsley left, he had a different opinion.

"I believe as many relatives as I have and as many family and friends in this community, I no longer have a say in this," he said. "Have a nice day."

Susan Johnson, the wife of Watertown Daily Times editor and co-publisher John B. Johnson Jr., encouraged town planners to protect their lakefront and riverfront districts.

"Since you have a very valuable investment in riverfront properties and lakefront properties, and those properties pay a lot of taxes in the town of Cape Vincent, I would think you would want to do everything that you could to protect that investment for the town," she said. "Do you feel that property owners in that lakefront district will enjoy looking over their shoulders at rolling windmills?"

But planners stressed that sites couldn't be blocked just to protect aesthetics.

And Mr. Binsley said the wind projects could reduce the potential for residents defaulting on their taxes, which would negatively impact all taxpayers, by providing a financial boost to farmers in transition.

"I have one brother-in-law that walks with a limp," he said. "He can't afford health insurance, but if he can put one windmill on his property maybe he can. Maybe he can stay here. Maybe he can live here."

The more stringent setback of 3,500 feet was seen as a compromise offered to members of the Concerned Riverview Citizens committee, some of whom countered Wednesday by saying they would reduce a setback suggestion from two miles to one.

But since the 1-mile setback would eliminate a significant portion of one of the two proposals to develop wind farms in the town, Mr. Edsall said the compromise wouldn't appease land owners.

The discussion will continue at 6 p.m. today during the regular town board meeting.