Meteorological towers get nod

Two conditional use permits regarding meteorological towers were unanimously approved by the Otoe County Planning Commission Thursday, Oct. 16, at Syracuse.

Both will be forwarded to the Otoe County Commissioners for their approval.

One tower will be near County Road L and County Road 10 as requested by the Kenneth Hartman trust. The other tower will be south of County Road P and near County Road 18 as requested by Russel and Keith Moss.

The towers will be 60 meters, 196' tall with four guy wires to hold them up and an 8' chain link fence to surround the towers at each guy point.

The conditional use permits would be for up to five years.

The towers are in conjunction with a wind farm project proposed by Midwest Wind Energy LLC officials to be presented to Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) officials.

David Levy of Midwest Wind Energy LLC answered several questions raised.

One question was who will determine whether the area would be suitable for a wind farm project. Levy said that would be determined by Midwest Wind Energy officials.

Another question was why lesser populated counties were not considered for the project. Levy said that wind resources are frequently far from population centers. He said that Otoe County is closer to population centers but is a good prospect for the project because it is close to an OPPD transmission line with the capacity to carry the power generated and the area is a good wind resource.

Levy was also asked about the negative aspects of living close to such towers.

Levy said that the towers would generate noise, there would be a visual impact and the towers could affect wildlife, but that would be regulated by officials of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"It's a clean and renewable way to generate electricity," Levy said.

By 2030, the goal is to generate 20 percent of electricity by wind power, he said.

The county planning commission also discussed wind power regulations and existing zoning regulations in other counties.

Also discussed was the possible impact on property values, the benefits of the project for Otoe County and the benefits of renewable energy.

Levy said that he hoped OPPD officials would act on a proposal by the end of the year. Construction of a wind farm would not start until the fall of 2009.

Dave Schmitz, Otoe County surveyor and zoning administrator, said that regulations for wind towers will be put in place. There will be a workshop on the issue with the Otoe County Planning Commission and the Otoe County Commissioners.