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Wind debate back before council

Grand Island Independent|Tracy Overstreet|May 22, 2010
NebraskaGeneral

If you have thoughts for or against wind turbines being allowed in Grand Island neighborhoods, now is the time to speak up. "I'm not sure it will go over in the neighborhoods," said Grand Island City Councilman Mitch Nickerson at a council meeting two weeks ago. He and Councilman John Gericke sought a delay on a final vote on new wind energy regulations to give time for residents to comment on the new policy.


If you have thoughts for or against wind turbines being allowed in Grand Island neighborhoods, now is the time to speak up.

"I'm not sure it will go over in the neighborhoods," said Grand Island City Councilman Mitch Nickerson at a council meeting two weeks ago.

He and Councilman John Gericke sought a delay on a final vote on new wind energy regulations to give time for residents to comment on the new policy.

The second and possibly third and final vote on the wind energy regulations could come Tuesday night.

The new rules would allow smaller turbines, called micro units, to be installed on poles or on rooftops in Grand Island neighborhoods. Micro units have rotor blades less than seven feet in diameter and generate less than 5 …

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If you have thoughts for or against wind turbines being allowed in Grand Island neighborhoods, now is the time to speak up.

"I'm not sure it will go over in the neighborhoods," said Grand Island City Councilman Mitch Nickerson at a council meeting two weeks ago.

He and Councilman John Gericke sought a delay on a final vote on new wind energy regulations to give time for residents to comment on the new policy.

The second and possibly third and final vote on the wind energy regulations could come Tuesday night.

The new rules would allow smaller turbines, called micro units, to be installed on poles or on rooftops in Grand Island neighborhoods. Micro units have rotor blades less than seven feet in diameter and generate less than 5 kilowatts of power.

It could mean a turbine 40 feet in the air on a residential property as long as the property is wide and deep enough to allow the turbine to be set back far enough so that it wouldn't fall on neighboring property.

Nickerson said he wasn't sure about the aesthetics of a 40-foot-tall turbine amongst a row of houses -- particularly if it wasn't of a neutral color.

Someone could erect a tower that is Husker red, Kansas State purple or Kansas Jayhawk blue, he said.

Nabity said people can paint their houses Husker red, K-State purple or Jayhawk blue. The city doesn't regulate house color, nor does it regulate wind turbine color.

"We can regulate that, but we choose not to," Nabity said.

Councilman Scott Dugan was concerned about the noise level of the turbines, while Councilman Bob Niemann raised issues about a turbine blowing off a roof and into neighboring property.

Nabity said the wind units do create a sound. He's not certain if it would be in excess of the city's existing 60 decibel noise ordinance.

Any roof-mounted turbines would also require a building permit, which should ensure structural integrity of the turbine tower, he said.

Roof-mounted micro wind systems must also have a fall zone of 125 percent of the height of the tower plus the underlying setback rules on the property.

That fall zone requirement eliminates most 50-foot-wide lots from consideration for a wind system, Nabity said, because the tower has to be mounted high enough above trees and buildings to catch the wind.

Even so, perhaps the council could implement a minimum lot size of 20,000 square feet, he said. That would eliminate virtually all lots below a half-acre in size from having a wind energy system, but would still allow the turbines in neighborhoods where homes are spaced farther apart.


Source:http://www.theindependent.com…

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