Wind turbines are a permitted use in town, but there's hardly anything on the books to regulate the devices, according to town officials. Article 2, Question 2, on the November referendum would change all that. "People are talking about (wind turbines) so we should have something out there to guide it," said Code Enforcement Officer Jodine Adams, who noted two turbines are already up and running in town. The Wells municipal code minimally addresses wind turbines, she said, but the proposed ordinance would establish a slew of guidelines that aren't yet addressed in town law.

WELLS - Wind turbines are a permitted use in town, but there's hardly anything on the books to regulate the devices, according to town officials. Article 2, Question 2, on the November referendum would change all that.

"People are talking about (wind turbines) so we should have something out there to guide it," said Code Enforcement Officer Jodine Adams, who noted two turbines are already up and running in town.

The Wells municipal code minimally addresses wind turbines, she said, but the proposed ordinance would establish a slew of guidelines that aren't yet addressed in town law.

Regulations in the ordinance would range from setbacks to safety.

Wind turbines, according to the proposal, would be considered an accessory use to a principal use such as a home or a business.

Before any permit for a turbine or "wind energy conversion system" would be granted, the design would have to comply with a laundry list of safety measures: The tower would have to meet FAA regulations as to protect aircraft; protections to insure someone does not climb the device also would have to be part of a site plan; signs that warn of potential electric shocks would be required in a turbine proposal, as well.

According to the ordinance, noise and appearance would have to meet code.

"No commercial transmitting or receiving devices may be affixed or otherwise made a part of (the turbine)," according to the ordinance proposal.

Town Planner Mike Huston said the wind-energy systems are only to be established to generate electricity, "not to provide a method that people can get around other restrictions."

In some cases, the wind turbines could even send electricity back into the grid when applicable, according to the ordinance.

Height is not mentioned in the ordinance, but all wind turbines would have to meet setback requirements.

If a constructed wind turbine were to topple, it would have to stay within the limits of a person's property and also within the setback requirements of that property, which can vary depending on the district.

"The maximum allowable height of your system will be determined by the placement on your property and the size of your lot," wrote Bill Gosbee, chairman of the Ordinance Review Committee, in an Oct. 22 e-mail. The committee was charged with drafting the plan.

Rooftop mounted wind turbines are not explicitly addressed in the ordinance, nor are the devices barred from being installed.

The ordinance was briefly addressed during an Oct. 20 public hearing at a Board of Selectmen meeting.

Selectman Chairman Richard Clark during that meeting said the ordinance is "not a proposal to establish wind farms."

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