Newspaper Articles

Comic from Local Newspaper
Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY

A few of the local newspapers contacted us about the wind turbine dispute and then printed a story.  Reproduced here is one of the articles.  The reporter made a few minor errors so I wrote a response which is also included.

Penfield Post Republican
Penfield Planning Board tilts at windmill
Residential high-tech windmill application stirs bitter air among Marchner Road residents.
By Brian Anglin

At the urging of neighbors, the Penfield Planning Board may knock over plans for a 100-foot windmill on Marchner Road, on the Webster border. Douglas Stockman earlier this year applied to the town to build a house and power-generating windmill on his nine-acre lot at 1460 Marchner Road. He said the windmill is better for the environment than traditional energy sources such as coal or nuclear power, but neighbors worry that it will be noisy and ugly. Sixteen residents have submitted a petition against the windmill, and William Ross of Hickory Lane argued in a letter to the Planning Board that the windmill would also

• interfere with radio, television, computer and other electronic devices;
• be a dangerous temptation for children to climb;
• provide an unnecessary, redundant service already met by Rochester Gas and Electric.

"We see no redeeming value for this unnecessary, unsightly, noisy monstrosity, which will dominate and pollute the landscape," Ross wrote. "We sincerely hope you will spare us, as well as the community, this unnecessary eyesore and noise and airways pollution". Penfield Planning Board chairman Walt Peter acknowledged those same reservations about giving Stockman the special permit he needs. "We are kind of looking for the possibility to deny it" he said. "I think the board is leaning that way". Stockman, on the other hand, claims neighborhood opposition to the plan is due to a lack of understanding. "They have no concept of what I am talking about," he explained. "They are just saying, 'Not in my backyard.'" He pointed out that the nearest neighbor is [500] feet away, and claims the noise generated by the windmill is equivalent to that of a wind chime. He has submitted reports asserting that the desired Whisper 4500 wind turbine is the quietest on the market. He rebutted concerns about ugliness, saying the blades sit on a 5 inch-thick pipe which has been painted green to blend in with surrounding trees. In addition, he noted, the property is zoned agricultural. "if I wanted to, I could put up a pig farm and a 150 [100]-foot silo and they couldn't say anything about it," Stockman said. According to the town's ordinance, energy towers can't be built without a special permit from the Planning Board. The tower must be less than 150 feet tall, the base of the tower must be screened, and the noise level at any lot line should not be greater than the ambient nighttime level. The Planning Board has approved plans for the home, but has tabled its decision on the application for a windmill. If the board cannot find reason to deny the application, Peter said the. town may grant a six-month permit for the windmill. If during that six months the windmill is too loud, the, property owner would have to either take it down or find some way to lessen the noise.

Stockman said he won't need to worry about that "Once it is up, they will realize that they were crying wolf for nothing," he said.

Article We Wrote
Letter to the Editor 16 June 1998

Your newspaper recently ran a story entitled "Planners, neighbors tilt against windmill" that discussed the pending application for the erection of a windmill at 1460 Marchner Road, Penfield, NY. A number of assertions, or facts were either wrong or misquoted and should be clarified.

Mr. Ross’ letter states a number of fears about windmills that have no basis in reality. Mr. Ross apparently is not familiar with windmills. He is worried about an "unsightly monstrosity which will dominate and pollute the landscape". Mr. Ross’ residence is a few miles from the proposed windmill site. There is no way he will be able to see or hear any size windmill, particularly not the small one we are proposing. The proposed windmill will be on a 5 inch diameter pipe painted green to minimize any visual impact. Modern windmills do not interfere with electronic devices. During the oil crisis of the 1970’s, a few experimenters tried using metal blades on windmills. These metal blades could interfere with radio waves. For this reason and many others, metal blades are no longer used. The proposed windmill uses a composite blade that does not interfere with any electronic device. Mr. Ross asserts that children will be tempted to climb our five inch metal pipe. Within approximately 200 feet of every home on Marchner Road is a 12 inch diameter 40 foot tall wooden pole strung with wires that children would have an easier time climbing. Children do not climb these wood utility poles. The fear of children climbing similar windmill poles has not happened. Because the Planning Board also raised the fear, we have agreed to fence the base of the tower if they so desire. The proposed windmill is not noisy. The Town of Penfield engineer measured background noise between 59-78 dB at the proposed windmill site. Windmills which are twice the size of the proposed windmill and known to be noisier produce 55-59 dB. According to the manufacturer of the proposed windmill, they do not know the dB rating of their turbine because noise levels have never been an issue.

I was misquoted with regards to the nearest neighbor. The nearest neighbor in Penfield is 1,000 feet away. Our land abuts Webster. The nearest neighbor to the North is 500 feet away. They are behind a stand of trees, and are generally upwind. The Town of Webster has copies of the site plan including the windmill location. They state the windmill complies with their regulations.

I was misquoted with regards to the height of a possible silo. Based on conversations with representatives of the Penfield Building and Planning Department, I stated we could erect a silo 105 feet high. After reading the Penfield Zoning manual, we could erect a silo 100 foot tall, but would need to apply for a variance for anything taller.

Both national and state governments encourage the expansion of renewable energy. I find it unfortunate that a few vocal individuals may halt a project which is supported by government, and which has significant benefits for the environment.

Douglas Stockman