State officials have investigated complaints but found no evidence that a Lowell property owner was building a wind site access road before permits are in place.

Officials with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources said Friday that logger Trip Wileman was following his forestry plan in building a logging road on his property on Lowell Mountain. The property is where Green Mountain Power wants to raise three wind measurement towers and eventually a wind power development.

The road had prompted complaints to the state by neighbors that Wileman and GMP were doing road work in preparation for the towers before the state approved of the project.

GMP has applied for but has yet to receive a certificate of public good for the measurement towers from the Vermont Public Service Board.

GMP had not asked for a road to be built, GMP spokeswoman Dorothy Schnure said Friday. The road in question is for Wileman's logging company, Moose Mountain Forestry, not for GMP, she said.

Working on roads before certificates for towers are issued "would be a violation of law," Geoffrey Commons, Vermont Department of Public Service special counsel said. The department represents the public interest when it comes to regulating utilities and wind projects.

Both the Department of Public Service and Agency of Natural Resources, which regulates logging roads and runoff, received complaints this week.

Don Nelson of Lowell, and others long opposed to wind turbines on Lowell Mountain, gave photographs of the road work to both state agencies and asked for an investigation.

Nelson said Friday that the road seems more than a logging road. "I don't know if he has permits," Nelson said.

Wileman first heard of the complaints Wednesday. On Friday morning, Wileman met with stormwater officials and presented information about the road work for his logging company. The road work was paid for by Moose Mountain Forestry, he said. "It's part of my long-term forestry plan," Wileman said.

By Friday afternoon, agency officials had concluded that the road work was part of Wileman's permitted operation.

"From the stormwater perspective, this is not a road that they were looking to construct for a (wind measurement) tower or wind tower," Judith Dillon, an ANR attorney, said.

Dan Mason, a stormwater specialist with the agency, said that Wileman was doing work on planned logging roads. Wileman's forester confirmed the purpose of the work, Mason said Friday.

The county forester will probably check the road anyway to confirm that it conforms to the forestry plan, Mason said.