Wind-farm forum brings large turnout

ALLEGANY - "We have lost the still of the night, and my hope and prayer for you is that you never have to live with the nightmare we have in Cohocton."

Those were the words of Hal Graham concerning a Cohocton wind-turbine farm, as he spoke Wednesday evening at a public forum in Allegany.

The forum was sponsored by the Concerned Citizens of Cattaraugus County and held at the Allegany Senior Center on Birch Run Road. The two-hour event was attended by as many as 150 people, as well as some town officials, who turned out for a presentation that addressed the proposed 29-turbine commercial wind farm for the Chipmonk and Knapp Creek area in the town of Allegany.

The Concerned Citizens group, advised by attorney Gary Abraham, has contended that the wind turbines proposed by the EverPower Renewables of New York City will create aesthetic, environmental and noise issues for the community.

Mr. Abraham opened the forum with a slide show presentation that outlined the burdens and benefits of wind turbines. He said the 500-foot tall turbines will each need 5 acres of land, will be placed in concrete pads that are 12 feet deep and sit on ridgelines that are 2,000 to 2,500 feet high. Mr. Abraham said EverPower, which is financed by foreign investors, expects to receive as much as $3 million in federal grants for each turbine. In addition, local residents will see no energy savings as all of the electricity generated by the turbines will be fed into a grid. While there would be some tax benefits to the town from the turbines, he said residents could see property values drop by as much as 20 to 40 percent in the developed area.

Mr. Abraham said if the wind-turbine farm is approved, the first thing the community will deal with are 3,000 truck trips that will be made through the area. He said the trucks will carry loads of concrete and turbine parts that include 160-foot long blades. To avoid making a number of turns, the preferred truck route outlined by EverPower will be along Route 86, with the vehicles getting off at the exit closest to Olean General Hospital (Exit 26).

According to the proposed plan, the trucks will drive through downtown Olean on North and South Union streets, travel over Rock City Hill and turn down Nichols Run Road to Chipmonk. He said there will be an additional 2,000 truckloads that will bring in gravel for the project.

"This will probably be the most intrusive project the community has ever faced," Mr. Abraham said. "You have to weigh the benefits and the burdens."

Once the turbines are up on the two ridges in the Chipmonk and Knapp Creek area, they will be visible from areas in Allegany and Olean, and possibly as far away as 5 to 10 miles, he said.

Mr. Abraham's presentation was followed by remarks made by panelists who included Steve Trude and Mr. Graham. The men are residents of Cohocton in Steuben County, where a 50-turbine commercial wind farm was constructed a few years ago.

Mr. Trude, of the Cohocton Wind Watch group, said he has been dealing with wind turbines in his community for the past four years.

"It's very important that you have input with your town board, your planning board and whoever is making the decisions on this wind farm," Mr. Trude told the audience. "I live in the middle of a wind farm. I have one that is 1,500 feet behind my house ... and I have seven turbines in front of my house" on an nearby ridge.

Mr. Trude said he also can see a total of 35 turbines from the top part of his property.

"It will change your life," Mr. Trude said of the wind turbines. "It changes how you live. Anybody who says it's not, is full of baloney."

He said when the First Wind company made initial contact with his community the residents were "promised the world," but none of promises materialized. In addition, he said property values have plummeted since the turbines were installed.

"There are six homes within a half a mile of mine that have been for sale for the past two years now," Mr. Trude said. He said the noise from the turbines wakes him up at night, and he can feel the vibration from the low-frequency noise in his home at times.

"I can sit on my couch at night with the TV on low ... and I can feel it in my chest," he said of the low-frequency vibrations. Mr. Trude said his home is also affected on occasion by shadow flickers, which is a strobe-like light flicker from the turbine blades.

"I do believe my home values have been affected," he said.

Mr. Graham said he lives on a 300-acre farm that has been in his family for several generations. He said the turbines emit unbearable noise that travels through his house. Mr. Graham said the noise is constant and is louder during the winter months, when the winds are stronger.

"The best way to describe this is the sound of a jet engine trying to take off in your backyard," he said. "At one time the (noise from the turbine) reached 101 decibels in my backyard."

He said complaints to First Wind by himself and other residents of the community have gone unheeded by the wind turbine officials.

Additionally, he has been told the town supervisors have no control over the situation and can do nothing to help.

"We were told if we didn't like it, we could move," Mr. Graham said. He also noted that the roads in the community have been damaged by the trucks when they first came in and haven't been fully repaired.

Mr. Graham said he prays Allegany doesn't have to go through what his community is dealing with on a daily basis.

"Do whatever you can to protect yourselves," he said. "If you have to stand in front of the cranes (that will come in for construction) do it and stop them."

Additional information...

ALLEGANY - A public hearing on the proposed EverPower Renewables wind turbine farm for the Chipmonk area will be held at 7 p.m. April 21 at the Allegany Senior Center. During the hearing, area residents may make comments regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the project. Written comments regarding the DEIS may also be presented to the Allegany Planning Board during the hearing. Copies of the DEIS are on display at the Allegany Town Hall, the Allegany Public Library, the Friedsam Memorial Library at St. Bonaventure University and online at https://www.alleganywindfarm.com/deis.htm. The planning board will accept written comments on the DEIS through May 3, which can be sent to: Planning Board, Allegany Town Hall, 52 West Main St., Allegany, NY 14706.

EverPower also will make a presentation on the proposed project at the planning board's regularly scheduled meeting at 6:45 p.m. Monday at the senior center.