Residents and supervisors are trying to find a wind turbine ordinance that both protects neighbors from unreasonable development and also minimizes township expense.

During the Monday meeting, after discussion between supervisors, township solicitor James Yelovich and the board left open the timetable for enactment.

However, the board was in agreement that something more than the current county regulations should be in place before serious township turbine development begins.

"We're not necessarily satisfied with what the county has," said Supervisor Mark Rininger.

County codes for the placement of turbines deal primarily with setback issues and limiting the distance that a turbine may be placed near an occupied dwelling or business.

The biggest additional regulation discussed was setting a decibel limit. However, limiting noise is a problematic move, Yelovich said.

"Enforcement of the decibel level is extremely expensive and time-consuming," he said.

Resident Mike Kern, of Koontz Road, suggested including the noise limit with provisions to force the developer to pay for the studies if they are found to be in violation.

Kern, who has been pushing for regulation since April, suggested supervisors review ordinances in place within Logan Township and Portage Township, both in Blair County.

Yelovich agreed with the proposal. "I'd like to see them," he said.

Kern pointed to the controversy in Cambria and Blair counties with the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm where residents and public officials have leveled noise complaints against developer Babcock & Brown as a reason to move forward with regulation.

Without even a draft ordinance on the table, developers would be able to build by adhering only to the county code, he said.

"Right now, there's nothing to stop them," he said.

More than 30 township households have signed a petition requesting additional regulations, he said.

Supervisors said creating a fair ordinance will take time to do properly.

"We don't want to stop them from reasonable development" Rininger said.

"We're not going to jump into anything just to get it done," said Supervisor Mark Corden.

The board and solicitor have already reviewed the ordinances of nearby townships like Shade and Allegheny.

In 2006, Shade enacted a windmill ordinance requiring that turbines have a setback of three times the hub height from the nearest property line of a non-participating landowner. Also, the noise level generated from the structure is not to exceed 45 decibels from the nearest property line of a non-participating landowner.

Allegheny Township took steps to protect seasonal cabins with its ordinance. The township's setback section protects unoccupied buildings from nearby turbine placement, many of which are seasonal cabins used for recreation.

In other business, supervisors agreed to provide winter maintenance for the state Department of Transportation along approximately eight miles of township road.

The agreement will pay the township $23,971 to clear and maintain a 7.98-mile section of Plank Road and a small stretch of old state Route 30, Rininger said.

The township will also conduct a study this winter to determine how much the program is actually costing the township.

"A lot of townships are dropping these," Rininger said of the contracts.

In 2006, Quemahoning dropped three roads from a winter maintenance contract with the state, citing expense.

Hooversville Road, Slagle Hill Road and Ralphton Road were turned over to PennDOT care after the board at the time called the contract a losing proposition.

Labor and material costs were the major concerns at the time.

The three roads, although sparsely populated, are major thruways for residents taking short-cuts toward Hooversville or Ralphton.