Dartmouth schedules forum on wind turbines project

DARTMOUTH - The plan to construct two wind turbines at the wastewater treatment plant off Chase Road will get a lot of public scrutiny before it can become a reality.

The first step will come in a public forum from 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 9 at Dartmouth High School.

That will be followed by a formal hearing before the Select Board, and if approved by the board, it will go to Town Meeting.

"The purpose of the public forum ... is to educate the public and give them an opportunity to participate fully in the decision making about wind turbines for Dartmouth," Select Board member Lara H. Stone said recently.

She said having speakers outline work that has been or will be completed and giving residents a chance to ask questions and contribute is paramount to the project, and that Town Moderator Steven C. Sharek has agreed to facilitate the meeting.

Stone said Atlantic Design Engineers LLC, the town's consultant, has conducted a feasibility study on the project and town department heads will be present to answer questions. Technical data regarding photo simulation, noise and shadow flicker studies are available for review at the Southworth Library, the North Dartmouth Library, the Select Board's office and on the town's Web site.

The Select Board public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 14, when it will consider whether to allow the turbines. Approval of the project by the Select Board requires a super majority, that is, at least four votes of the five board members.

The turbines measure 462 feet from the ground to the tip of the blade at its highest point and 328 feet from the ground to the hub, according to Dr. Ronald DiPippo, chairman of the town's Alternative Energy Committee.

Jeanne Nesto and David Costa of 727 Chase Road oppose locating turbines near residential areas. "I don't feel they belong in a neighborhood setting at all. If they are miles away from a neighborhood, I think that would be fine," Nesto said.

She and Costa are also concerned about the shadow flicker caused by the turbines' blades and a possible drop in the value of nearby homes.

Costa said he is uncomfortable knowing that the town is the developer of the project, and worries that the Select Board might be swayed more by the financial benefits than by the impact on neighbors.

Executive Administrator David G. Cressman said he understands Costa's point, but said that this is what municipal boards, particularly the Planning Board, do all the time.

Both turbines have been moved in the plans because of their proximity to wetlands. DiPippo said the south turbine is 860 feet from the nearest house and the north turbine is 980 feet away from the nearest home.

The shadow flicker will affect about 94 homes, but 75 of them will be affected one to nine hours per year, according to DiPippo.

DiPippo said that in the first year of the project a net financial benefit of more than $880,000, and $32 million at the end of 20 years.

The town also recently received an allocation of $2 million in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds from the Internal Revenue Service, which will lower the interest costs the town has to pay.

DiPippo said the town will pay a low rate of interest on the CREBs of about 1 percent, while the federal government contributes an amount to make the bond attractive to banks.

He said this means that the town will need to issue general obligation bonds for only about $7 million to fund the $9 million project in its entirety.

The CREBs will save the town about $36,000 each year over the financing period, or roughly $550,000, DiPippo said.

The town has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for the south turbine, but was denied approval for the north turbine because town officials said they added "some cushion" to their application and submitted the request at 492 feet, according to Stone.

However, Stone said, the FAA indicated it would approve a height of 473 feet for the north turbine and the town plans to resubmit its application at that height.

FAA approval is necessary because the turbines are in a flight path of the New Bedford Regional Airport.

Stone said their current timetable is to have the turbines before Town Meeting on Jan. 12.

DiPippo said his goal is to have construction under way in the summer of next year and have the turbines operational by November or December.