Fremgen said by increasing the setback from landowners not under contract you force the wind farm developer to get contracts from any landowner that would be close enough to the turbine to have their wind resource affected. "The other issue is roads," Johnson said. "These towers take about 360 tons of concrete and are put up with 280-ton cranes. The companies always reassure the people that they will recondition the roads but how do we make sure?" The board agreed to continue with the development of an ordinance.

The Stutsman County Zoning Board hopes to draft an ordinance for commercial wind energy facilities and forward it on to the County Commission for consideration and possible implementation by the spring, said Fritz Fremgen, Stutsman County state's attorney.

"If we shoot for Feb. 1 for the draft of the ordinance," he said "It then takes about two months to implement."

The Zoning Board met Wednesday to begin preliminary consideration of the ordinance. The discussion was prompted by interest shown by Just Wind in property leases in the Medina area, Fremgen said. Just Wind is currently awaiting a ruling from the Public Service Commission on its proposed Napoleon wind farm.

None of the townships in the Medina area have zoning regulations and fall under the Stutsman County Zoning Board authority.

While the ordinance will be developed by the Zoning Board it is the Stutsman County Commission that will hold hearings and ultimately vote on the issue. Once the ordinance is in place it would establish the process the Zoning Board would use when issuing conditional use permits for wind farms.

Fremgen said the principle issues to be addressed by the ordinance are the setbacks and road maintenance during and after the construction process.

Setbacks are the minimum distances allowed between the turbines and dwellings, roads, utilities and the property of people not under contract with the wind developer.

Noel Johnson, chief operating officer of Stutsman County and a member of the Zoning Board, said most conflicts develop when the wind disruption caused by a turbine on one property eliminates the possibility of a wind turbine on a neighbor's property.

"As soon as a landowner realizes he's not getting a turbine," he said. "Then you got a problem."

Fremgen said by increasing the setback from landowners not under contract you force the wind farm developer to get contracts from any landowner that would be close enough to the turbine to have their wind resource affected.

"The other issue is roads," Johnson said. "These towers take about 360 tons of concrete and are put up with 280-ton cranes. The companies always reassure the people that they will recondition the roads but how do we make sure?"

The board agreed to continue with the development of an ordinance. Fremgen, Johnson, Charlie Kourajian, Harold Bensch and Doug Kaiser were named to a subcommittee to take input from local governments with wind farms and from people within the wind industry. They will schedule a series of public meetings on the issue.

Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at (701) 952-8452 or by e-mail at knorman@jamestownsun.com