Not allowing for corrections by CES, a petition has been presented to us today to vote on eliminating the entire ordinance, the same ordinance we recently approved. Therefore, should not CES make adjustments in order to meet the requirements of the Freedom ordinance? Or should the ordinance of the town of Freedom be abolished in order to meet the needs of CES, a private corporation!

During the month of June of this year 2007, we, the residents of Freedom, will be asked to vote on a petition to rescind the town ordinance entitled Town of Freedom Commercial Development Review Ordinance. The vote will be by secret ballot; there will be no discussion of the issue at the town meeting. Passage of the petition to rescind will result in all parts of the Ordinance becoming null and void, leaving Freedom with no control whatsoever over the future development of the town. The main area of contention appears to be the construction and operation on the Beaver Ridge of their wind turbines by Competitive Energy Services, LLC.

During the preparation of the ordinance by the town's Planning Board, C.E.S. informed the board what it would accept as limitations on noise volume, setbacks from adjacent properties, and other considerations. These considerations were accepted by the Planning Board, and were incorporated into the proposed ordinance to be voted on.

At an ensuing town meeting the voters of Freedom overwhelmingly voted in favor of the ordinance in its entirety. Shortly after the town's approval of the ordinance, C.E.S submitted an application for construction of the turbines. This application was approved by the planning board.

Believing that the submitted application did not comply with certain areas of the town ordinance, some residents of Freedom appealed to the town's Appeals Board. The Appeals Board found the C.E.S. application as submitted was not in compliance with the ordinance on two counts.

1. The sound level would exceed the ordinance's limitation on noise.

2. Competitive Energy Services did not include a plan to pay for the dismantling and removal of the turbines if necessary, thereby placing the financial burden on the taxpayers of Freedom.

Therefore the appeals board rejected the CES application in its present form.

Not allowing for corrections by CES, a petition has been presented to us today to vote on eliminating the entire ordinance, the same ordinance we recently approved.

Therefore, should not CES make adjustments in order to meet the requirements of the Freedom ordinance?

Or should the ordinance of the town of Freedom be abolished in order to meet the needs of CES, a private corporation!

Web link: http://www.mainecoastnow.com/articles/2007/04/26/r...