ANTRIM -- Following fiery criticism Tuesday of an application for a meteorological tower on Tuttle Hill, the zoning board will continue the public hearing in September.

Eolian Renewable Energy of Portsmouth has applied for a height variance under the small wind systems ordinance to construct a 197-foot meteorological tower (met tower) on a 290-acre parcel owned by Michael Ott on Tuttle Hill, the fourth highest peak in Antrim. The tower would collect data to determine the viability of a utility-grade wind farm in the area.

About 15 residents with views of Tuttle Hill turned out to express their opposition to the proposal. Resident Sarah Gorman said that approval of the met tower was a de facto approval of a wind farm, which she said would be disastrous for the town.

"The people that are for it are the people who don't have to look out the window and see it," said Gorman. "[Eolian's] motivation is greed and our motivation is saving the environment and I think we're going to win. Greed being one of the seven deadly sins, it's like a dog biting itself in the tail."

A handful of supporters also spoke out at the meeting, including Selectman Gordon Webber.

"My whole family supports the variance," said Webber. "I think it will be an asset to the town, the state, the country and the world."

"What we're talking about is a temporary structure that will have minimal environmental impact," said resident Ben Pratt. "It will gather a great deal of useful data. It will increase our knowledge of the world and that's a good thing."

Although the variance was only for the met tower, discussion frequently returned to the potential disruptions of a wind farm. The board spent a good deal of time explaining to the audience how the Zoning Board of Adjustment, variances and ordinances work.

"That's what this variance is all about, is just to approve this one tower," said Chairman John Kendall. "After what we went through with the cell tower, I can't even fathom what it would take to go through that process for a wind tower."

"You rightly predicted a big battle," said Gorman. "You could nip that in the bud right now by denying this variance. Because we will fight tooth and nail to the bitter end."

Gorman suggested the North Branch area is seen by other parts of town as easily manipulated.

"'Let's put a nuclear dump up there,'" mused Gorman. "'You can't see it from downtown.' We will secede rather than let [a wind farm] happen."

The comment drew laughter and applause from opponents.

"There's a lot of emotional response to our proposal," said Eolian CEO Jack Kenworthy. "But what I'm hearing is that the concern still rests with something we're not requesting here today."

Town Planner Peter Moore said the Planning Board and zoning board, in consultation with town counsel and lawyers from the Local Government Center, agreed the wind system ordinance was the appropriate one under which to request a variance for the met tower. Moore also read the definition of public utilities and confirmed they are an approved use in the rural conservation district.

"I find making an exception on rural conservation land is a slippery slope," said Jan Longgood of Salmon Brook Road. "I've been here 25 years and it would ruin the experience. I wouldn't want to live here."

At one point in the meeting, Longgood and a few others suggested they should all put their homes on the market before the wind project compromises their values.

"The preponderance of evidence shows that property values go up," said Kenworthy of towns with wind farm developments.

Audience member Bob Cleland said he is a longtime resident of Antrim.

"Antrim's a nice town, but you're going to destroy it," said Cleland. "That's what I foresee."

Resident Loranne Carey Block presented a petition with 66 signatures, including those of all but one resident of Salmon Brook Road. Richard Block read a four-page refutation of the variance application.

"I don't want to start a confrontational dialogue with any one person, but some of the things that have been stated as fact are not," said John Soininen, vice president of development for Eolian.

Resident Ellen Druan, who had initially been approached by Eolian for a portion of her land, said that not enough people knew about the application and the public hearing.

"You have to go door-to-door if that's what it takes," said Druan.

"It's up to you as townspeople to get out and spread the word," said Kendall. "I wish we had to move this upstairs and we had 200 people, but the board can only do so much."

Ultimately, Kendall decided to continue the public hearing.

"I don't know why, but I thought this would go smoother," said Kendall. "There's too much on the line to rush through this."

The public hearing will continue on Sept. 15 at 7:15 p.m. at the Town Hall.

After the meeting, Soininen said the complaints are unfounded.

"These people think they have a right to look at that property in a pristine state but they don't," said Soininen. "It's private property."