Opponents launch petition drive to overturn changes
Sun Journal|Terry Karkos |June 18, 2009
People opposing Record Hill Wind LLC's proposal to site 22 wind-power turbines in town have launched a petition drive to rescind approved ordinance changes allowing such facilities. The petition asks selectmen to call a special town meeting to amend the comprehensive plan by deleting all language and sections referring to wind power that were added by a majority vote at a special town meeting Jan. 15.
People opposing Record Hill Wind LLC's proposal to site 22 wind-power turbines in town have launched a petition drive to rescind approved ordinance changes allowing such facilities. The petition asks selectmen to call a special town meeting to amend the comprehensive plan by deleting all language and sections referring to wind power that were added by a majority vote at a special town meeting Jan. 15.
ROXBURY - People opposing Record Hill Wind LLC's proposal to site 22 wind-power turbines in town have launched a petition drive to rescind approved ordinance changes allowing such facilities.
The petition asks selectmen to call a special town meeting to amend the comprehensive plan by deleting all language and sections referring to wind power that were added by a majority vote at a special town meeting Jan. 15.
The petition also asks the town to amend its land-use ordinance by dissolving the new Mountain District zone, which allows wind-power facilities, and to disallow wind-energy facilities as a permitted use.
Additionally, the petition asks that wind-energy facilities be further defined as industrial structures.
Anne Morin, a …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]ROXBURY - People opposing Record Hill Wind LLC's proposal to site 22 wind-power turbines in town have launched a petition drive to rescind approved ordinance changes allowing such facilities.
The petition asks selectmen to call a special town meeting to amend the comprehensive plan by deleting all language and sections referring to wind power that were added by a majority vote at a special town meeting Jan. 15.
The petition also asks the town to amend its land-use ordinance by dissolving the new Mountain District zone, which allows wind-power facilities, and to disallow wind-energy facilities as a permitted use.
Additionally, the petition asks that wind-energy facilities be further defined as industrial structures.
Anne Morin, a member of Concerned Citizens to Save Roxbury, said Wednesday evening that the group launched the drive due to new information that wasn't available Jan. 15.
"Half the town voted against it and we figured that promises were made then that were not true," Morin said. "We're sure that a lot of people were not informed when voting."
The Jan. 15 tallies were 89-81 to amend the comprehensive plan to allow wind generation facilities in Roxbury and 87-80 to create a Mountain District Zone.
Of the "new information," Morin cited Record Hill Wind's offer to pay the first 500 kilowatt-hours per month per household for the town's 200 residences as of Sept. 1.
"Free electricity is not going to be free," Morin said. She said that residences with businesses won't be eligible.
Additionally, Morin said the petition is needed because Concerned Citizens believes that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, which has been reviewing Record Hill Wind's project for several months, will soon approve it.
Roxbury First Selectman John Sutton and Record Hill Wind principal Rob Gardiner said Wednesday that a majority of residents have twice voted to allow wind-power projects in town and that those decisions should stand.
"In my opinion, the town has voted twice on this with a 180-day moratorium between the two votes, but the outcome of both votes was the same," Sutton said.
"Losers don't get the chance to just vote again and again on this," Gardiner said. "I think it's wrong for the losing side to keep voting until they can manage a majority."