A wind-power ordinance will be up for vote at the Farmington town meeting on Monday evening, March 19. It ought not to pass as written.
It would not protect town residents from some of the noisome aspects of wind power.
The current ordinance would allow commercial-sized wind turbines, such as the 750-kilowatt, 250-foot-high turbines that were being proposed for the Bailey Hill area, to be erected 262.5 feet from a neighbor’s property line.
It would allow noise levels at the property line to average 60 decibels — the equivalent of having people talking at a bedside all night long, only worse, since the low-frequency noise of windmills carries and penetrates farther. A person’s sleep and health would be disturbed, and property values probably would drop.
Farmington needs a wind-power ordinance. It should allow a property owner or developer to follow the guidelines, put up a windmill and be a good neighbor.
It should protect citizens from the downside of someone else’s economic venture.
I think Farmington residents should vote down the proposed ordinance and tell the selectmen to fast track a new ordinance with guidelines that will protect the residents of the town.
Burton Knapp, MD,
West Farmington
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