Wind turbine developer reapplies for testing permit
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By Gordon Dritschilo Staff Writer - Published: June 16, 2009
A wind farm developer has reapplied for a permit to put up testing equipment after relocating a proposed site from Ira to Clarendon.
Earlier in the year, Vermont Community Wind Farm applied for a certificate of public good to put up meteorological data towers on Herrick Mountain, Traynor Brook Ridge and Suzie's Peak, all in Ira.
VCWF spokesman Jeffrey Wennberg said consultants first identified the Suzie's Peak location during the winter. When they went back in the spring, they discovered it was close to a wetland.
"A wetland is not always obvious to the naked eye," Wennberg said. "There isn't a bright red line that says, 'This is the wetland, this is not the wetland.' If you're near it, you might be in it."
So, Wennberg said, the company decided to move the site 400 feet, taking it across the town line into Clarendon. While the comment period on the original application expires today, Wennberg said the Suzie's Peak tower needed a new application because it was in a new town.
The towers hold equipment that collects wind and temperature data. VCWF already has such equipment on a pre-existing communication tower in Ira. Wennberg has said the company will need a year of data to determine if it will proceed.
The application describes the towers as being 6 to 10 inches thick and 197 feet high. Wennberg stressed that they have no foundations and are only temporary structures.
Meanwhile, Middletown Springs will be the latest town involved in VCWF's proposal to host the company's representatives for an informational meeting. Select Board Chairman Fred Bradley said the town will hold the forum at 7 p.m. Thursday at Middletown Springs Elementary School.
Bradley said many people in town have questions about the project.
VCWF, owned by Per White-Hansen of Charlotte, has identified 60 potential sites for wind towers in Ira, Tinmouth, Clarendon, Poultney, Middletown Springs and West Rutland. White-Hansen has said he wants to put up towers with a capacity totaling 80 megawatts, which would make the largest wind farm in the state.
gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com
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