Wind turbines focus of Brady Twp. meeting

LUTHERSBURG - Brady Township Board of Supervisors heard a wind energy presentation at its meeting last night provided by Laura Jackson of Save Our Allegheny Ridges. Jackson identified herself as a retired schoolteacher and educator who is part of SOAR, a group working to educate people on wind turbines. She said SOAR has worked with other townships on developing wind energy ordinances and she offered information assistance for Brady Township's proposed ordinance.

Jackson focused much of her time on setback distances. She offered the supervisors a compilation of setbacks to civil structures, setbacks to participating structures, setbacks to non-participating structures, setbacks to property lines and setbacks to historic and natural sites from other municipalities' ordinances. The information was gathered by SOAR from 19 approved ordinances. The ordinances included the Pennsylvania model developed in 2006 and six ordinances from Bedford County, four from Blair, four from Somerset, one from Cambria, one from Centre, one from Luzerne and one from Potter.

The information provided showed many of the ordinances included a setback to non-participating, occupied buildings of 2,000 feet or greater. Jackson said, in her experience, such setback distances have not killed wind projects and townships have not been sued because of them. Longer setback distances, she said, could benefit the township's residents in a number of ways. It might require a wind company to acquire additional "good neighbor" policies - $5,000 one-time payments to those who reside within 1,000 feet of their neighbors' turbine. It would also cut down on the amount of noise that is heard by non-participants.

Noise is a key factor to consider when determining a setback distance, she said. "In my experience it is very hard to prove a noise case in court and a noise study costs 30, 40, $50,000 which a township could not afford."

Jackson said SOAR is working to post the setback information on its Web site, www.saveouralleghenyridges.org , so the public may have access to it.

"I don't think losing a few turbines in Brady Township would affect (Iberdrola Renewables') project," said Jackson. "Gamesa Company says it takes a minimum of 24 turbines to make a project economically feasible. There are 43 proposed here (in Brady, Bloom and Penn townships).

Resident Gary Swope said the 43 proposed turbine sites have been approved by the Federal Aviation Association, and a bat study has been conducted by Iberdrola for the project. Nine of the proposed turbine sites are in Brady Township, 18 in Penn Township and 15 in Bloom Township.

Chairman Lester Wachob suggested the supervisors take a trip on Wednesday to see wind turbines in person. Jackson indicated the Lookout, Castleman, Stony Creek and Forward wind projects are the newest wind projects developed in Pennsylvania. Lookout uses 687 model, 2-megawatt turbines, the same turbines proposed for Brady Township. A motion was made and seconded to view the turbines on Wednesday.

"Two megawatt turbines produce an average of 0.5 megawatts in Pennsylvania," said Jackson. "It takes $4 million to construct one turbine that does not produce much. Two-thirds of that is taxpayer subsidy.

"We have to be careful not to have a pie-in-the-sky view of renewable energy. Let's not put up turbines so quick that people have to leave their homes like in Europe."

In other business:

* The township approved renewal of its insurance policy with Swift Kennedy & Co. with a cost increase of 10 percent. The increase occurred due to higher recommended property premiums and a mandatory workers compensation cover for the township's ambulance corp. Swift Kennedy Representative Andy Sayers said the insurance program covers the township building, community center, firehall, playground, an acre of township-owned property at the corner of township roads 341 and 838, and the township's equipment. The insurance is carried through Employers Mutual Corp., an A-rated carrier.

* Wachob said the township continues to have a problem with stolen and damaged street signs. Residents with information regarding the missing or damaged signs are asked to contact the township. Individuals caught stealing or damaging a sign will be prosecuted.

* The township was notified by Federal Emergency Management Agency that it needs to write a new flood plain ordinance or amend its existing one. FEMA sent the township a new flood plain map. Secretary Sheryl DeBoer said the township has 30 days to review the ordinance.

* A motion to file charges against Jeff and Lindsey McClure and Kevin Crouch was approved. Both parties remain in violation of the township's junk car and nuisance ordinances.