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West Rutland signs lease on wind turbine



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By Gordon Dritschilo Staff Writer - Published: July 29, 2009

WEST RUTLAND — The town is in the wind business.

The Select Board voted unanimously Monday to sign a 30-year lease with Vermont Community Wind Farm to put turbines on municipal forest land West Rutland owns in Ira. The company is seeking to build an 80-megawatt wind farm in and around Ira.

In return, the company will pay the town a total of $3,000 for the three-year "development phase."

Once the towers, if any, are built, the town gets a minimum of $4,000 a year per installed megawatt and a maximum of 2.5 percent of gross sales for the first 10 years. After the first 10 years, the percentage goes up to 3.

The lease contains a provision in which the company "will make every reasonable effort" to put at least two turbines on the land, though stopping short of a guarantee. It does promise rent to the town for one tower even if the company gets no permit for any towers at the site.

The lease also requires VCWF to put one-twentieth of the estimated cost of decommissioning all towers on the property into an escrow account each year. The money cannot be withdrawn without the town's permission.

That requirement is voided if the company establishes an equal decommissioning fund with the state.

The lease also gives the company five years in which to begin construction of the towers.

The board spent a half-hour in executive session before signing the lease. Selectman Peter Bianchi, who is in negotiations with VCWF to put towers on land he owns as well, participated in the executive session but recused himself from the vote.

As board members signed the lease, Town Manager Mary Ann Goulette handed out a prepared statement saying the decision follows the town plan's recommendation of exploring alternative energy sources.

The statement also said the board heard no opposition from residents, though Goulette said a few people raised concerns. Nobody appeared at the meeting Monday to comment one way or the other.

"This has been on our agenda for several meetings," Goulette said.

The project has proven more contentious in other towns, particularly in Ira, where meetings on the proposal have drawn large, hostile crowds. Select Board Chairman Sean Barrows said after the meeting that he suspects the project has plenty of supporters but that their voices are not being heard.

gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com








READER COMMENTS


I love this county. Secret agreements that affect another community in the negative. Ira should have recourse, perhaps not in stopping them although, if this adversely affect any resident in or near the area, they can file a grievance, that should be enough to stop development, but now that the lands use has changed, it should be very taxable beginning the day they signed the agreement. This land is no longer for municipal purposes. Does the City pay taxes on the property they own at the airport? That's a for-profit enterprise owned in another town.
-- Posted by Justn Thyme on Thu, Jul 30, 2009, 12:17 pm EST

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Hey West Rutland- Thanks for DUMPING on your neighbors in IRA. Way to go!
-- Posted by CC None on Thu, Jul 30, 2009, 9:49 am EST

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Interesting, I knew Ira was in session. I knew Ira brought the attention to the people. To get their opinions since they have to live with them. But I don't remember much being mentioned about this in and around West Rutland. Granted I am a renter, in the area, and not a land owning tax payer.

I find it strange that Board members would do this to Ira.

Ira's land basically horse-shoe's around West Rutland. We now know West Rutland owns some of the land in Ira. Behind their back (Executive Session), WR gave permission for this company to actually build in and around Ira. Even though the residents have shown great disgust in this venture.

Not much was said to residents of West Rutland. Why not? Probably because they were planning on building on that land that belongs to WR, but technically is not in WR. So, for some reason, they figured it was an executive decision. And not one for the tax-paying public.

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I'm glad a project is going to be started. I think it needs to be done. But for one town to undermine another, like this, just doesn't seem right.

Who pays tax on this land to Ira? West Rutland?

I understand this type of stuff happens all of the time. Airports and other ventures are usually deeded outside of the town they represent. I guess I'm just confused how the Board automatically assumes the residents have no opinion on what to do with this land. If they do infact pay for it in taxes. Shouldn't they have some say?

Shouldn't they be given ample time and resources to discuss their approval or disapproval?

It's suspicious when it get's done behind closed doors like this. Something just doesn't seem right.
-- Posted by CF Reality on Wed, Jul 29, 2009, 11:24 pm EST

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Maybe the project has proven to be more contentious in other towns because other towns held public meetings where the developer outlined the proposal and answered questions -- unsatisfactorily. No, West Rutland didn't bother with that messy public process. And how was the public supposed to know this was on the agenda? West Rutland has a really nice website http://www.westrutlandtown.com/index.php, but the Select Board agenda isn't posted, and the minutes of the July Select Board meetings have not been posted. The only thing inquiring residents and interested landowners can learn is that the Select Board went into Executive Session on the wind project on June 8, but after that there was no mention of what was discussed or any actions taken. In fact, their Executive Session, as noted in the minutes, raises questions about whether or not this Board understands the Open Meeting Law.
-- Posted by None None on Wed, Jul 29, 2009, 7:48 pm EST

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