If he had to, Councilman-at-large Ray Guttmann was prepared to be the lone knight, tilting at wind turbines. As it turned out, he wasn't alone. The majority of City Council was on his side. On Tuesday, council voted 5 - 1 against allowing the 280-foot turbine that the Cuyahoga County fair board hoped to erect near its main parking lot off Bagley and Eastman roads.
If he had to, Councilman-at-large Ray Guttmann was prepared to be the lone knight, tilting at wind turbines. As it turned out, he wasn't alone. The majority of City Council was on his side. On Tuesday, council voted 5 - 1 against allowing the 280-foot turbine that the Cuyahoga County fair board hoped to erect near its main parking lot off Bagley and Eastman roads.
MIDDLEBURG HTS. -- If he had to, Councilman-at-large Ray Guttmann was prepared to be the lone knight, tilting at wind turbines.
As it turned out, he wasn't alone. The majority of City Council was on his side.
On Tuesday, council voted 5 - 1 against allowing the 280-foot turbine that the Cuyahoga County fair board hoped to erect near its main parking lot off Bagley and Eastman roads. The board had touted the project for its educational component, in which local schools and universities would study renewable energy.
Guttmann was the only councilman to vote in 2008 against the original plan for a 250-foot turbine at the site. The fair board originally promised that project would be paid for through private funding, but those funds …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]MIDDLEBURG HTS. -- If he had to, Councilman-at-large Ray Guttmann was prepared to be the lone knight, tilting at wind turbines.
As it turned out, he wasn't alone. The majority of City Council was on his side.
On Tuesday, council voted 5 - 1 against allowing the 280-foot turbine that the Cuyahoga County fair board hoped to erect near its main parking lot off Bagley and Eastman roads. The board had touted the project for its educational component, in which local schools and universities would study renewable energy.
Guttmann was the only councilman to vote in 2008 against the original plan for a 250-foot turbine at the site. The fair board originally promised that project would be paid for through private funding, but those funds never materialized, and the original permit expired last year.
The board re-applied after it learned in December it would receive a $1 million grant in federal stimulus funds. This time the plans called for a larger, 280-foot, 600-watt turbine.
In the meantime, council had cooled on the project because of opposition from businesses close to the site, including Quadax Inc., Century Oak Care Center, and American Tower Corporation, which has a communications tower on the fairgrounds.
Stuart Bissell, co-owner of Century Oak, pointedly asked how much the total project would cost, and where the money was coming from. He was concerned that the county would be spending money it cannot afford on the turbine.
"I'm afraid the city will be faced with a very large white elephant in the back yard," Bissell said.
Nick Willis, project manager, said the project would cost $2 million and was totally funded. However, when Bissell asked where the remaining funds would come from, Willis hedged a little. In addition to the state grant, the project also was guaranteed $400,000 more in county grant money.
"We are confident that when we apply to the State of Ohio Department of Development we will get another $200,000. Cuyahoga County will fund the rest," Willis said.
Mayor Gary Starr said the city has a good environmental conservation record, but called the fair board's request for a 280-foot structure "beyond the bounds of reason." The city had to be careful about the interests of both its residents and its business community, he said.
"I believe at this time, this proposal is not in the best interest of the city," he said.
Board President Alan Budney was concerned because the project might not end with one wind turbine.
"There have been comments made about the possibility of adding additional, smaller turbines. Why not look at a smaller one first?" he said.
Ward 4 Councilman John Grech was chair of the Planning Commission when it first approved the project.
"I've looked at this thing for two years. Is this the right time for green energy? Absolutely. Is this the right location? I don't think so," Grech said.
Councilman James Herron abstained from voting on the issue, because he works for the county. That meant only six council members could vote, and only three were needed to defeat the project.
"I knew I had the three votes we needed to vote it down, but I'm glad the others were with us," Guttmann said.
Only Ward 1 Councilman Matt Castelli voted in favor of the wind turbine. He said he had received letters from more than 80 households in the city, and they were 10 to one in support of the project.
"I want to throw out a quote. ‘If we always do what we've always done, then we will always be what we've always been,'" he said. "It's time for us to lead."