Coventry windmill project whips up controversy
COVENTRY – Despite growing opposition, Coventry intends to proceed with its plan to power its town hall by harnessing the wind, according to Town Supervisor John Phelan.
“We haven’t bid it out yet,” the supervisor reported Monday, when asked about the status of the town’s windmill project. In May, Coventry’s town board authorized Phelan to seek proposals for installation of a 153-foot tall, 10kW wind turbine to generate power for the town hall and senior center.
“I expect we’ll be out to bid no later than the September board meeting,” he said.
Phelan asserts that the majority of Coventry’s town residents are in favor of the plan, including those who live adjacent to the property. But following a statement the town supervisor made on air during an interview with a local television station, where he said all of the “immediate neighbors” were in support of the initiative, more and more people are speaking out in opposition.
One of those townspeople is John VanSteenburg, who owns 24 acres adjacent to the town park. According to VanSteenburg, the area the town has staked out for the tower is only 10 to 15 feet from his property line, and less than 150 feet from the home his mother occupies on the property. His own home is approximately 300 feet from the site, he said.
“He asked me for my support and I didn’t give it to him,” VanSteenburg said, recalling a conversation he had with Phelan earlier in the year.
VanSteenburg says his opposition to the project is not fueled by a “not in my back yard” mentality or, as Phelan has suggested, politically motivated. The 25-year Coventry resident said he has nothing against wind energy, but questions the decision to put the windmill so close to the town park.
“I think it’s great that John is thinking of green projects ... (but) putting the thing in the park is not the best idea,” he said, since it is so well used by town residents.
The town highway garage might be a better option, he suggested, and since it likely uses more energy than the hall, would give Coventry a “bigger bang for (its) buck.” He also suggested that if Phelan had gone about it differently, he may have been able to garner more support.
Phelan’s television comments about the community’s support for the project didn’t win the favor of Coventry resident Terri Townsend.
“That’s not what I heard at the meeting,” she said.
Funding for the project is her biggest concern.
“I’m not against going green. I’m all in favor of it,” the Cahoun Road resident explained. “My concerns are the cost.”
Phelan has estimated the town’s share of the $70,000 project at $20,000; which he said will come from scrap metal sales and the sale of timber from town-owned property off Wylie-Horton Road Extension.
According to Townsend, proceeds from the scrap metal drive have gone to the town highway department in the past. If that money is diverted, she fears taxpayers will be required to fill the gap.
She also expressed concerns about who will cover the cost of repairs to the wind turbine, once it reaches the end of its 5-year warranty. She’s also concerned that Phelan has decreased his initial cost estimates for the project from $80,000 to $70,000.
“We’re asking questions that we’re not getting answered,” she said, explaining that she’s not yet entirely convinced that the windmill will even generate enough power to offset the town hall’s current utility costs.
There is also the matter of the remaining $50,000 of the project’s expected total cost, which Phelan has said will be funded through state and federal grants. Specifically, $20,000 from President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and $30,000 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Some, including Coventryville resident Joyce Besemer, are concerned about the availability of these funds, particularly the NYSERDA incentives Phelan has expressed such confidence in.
The town supervisor has stated he expects to receive $30,000 in grant funding through the state agency for the project. But according to information readily available on the NYSERDA website, www.nyserda.org, the maximum incentive allowed under the New York Energy $mart program is $25,000.
With the wind turbine model they are interested in installing, and the proposed tower height, Coventry could qualify for the full $25,000, if the funds were available.
The “if” is what has Besemer worried.
“Grants are not a sure thing these days,” she said.
A total of $300,000 was made available in the most recent round of funding - which closed on June 30 - to cover wind projects across the state, including residential and commercial as well as schools and municipalities. When the next round of funding will open remains uncertain. Once it is, timing is everything, as completed applications are accepted and granted funding on a first come first serve basis. And certified installers are only allowed to submit one application per calendar month.
According to Phelan, there is a simple answer to this concern.
“If we don’t get the full grant funding we anticipate, we won’t do the project,” he said.
The township will also need to meet NYSERDA’s siting requirements in order to receive funding. Those on the agency’s website specifically state a turbine of this size must be 300 feet from any “human-occupied structure.” While Phelan has stated publicly that obtaining an exemption from this would be “no problem,” according to NYSERDA exemptions for these minimum distances apply only to structures owned by the property owner seeking to install the tower. While the town could potentially be exempt with regards to the town hall and park, there are still the two residences on the VanSteenburg property to consider, at least one of which is clearly within the specified minimum distance.
Again, Phelan does not see this as insurmountable, but admits it will need to be taken into consideration.
“If we can’t move the criteria, then we’ll move it,” he stated.
According to the supervisor, the town will take whatever time it needs to get it right.
“The wind has been blowing by here for 200 years,” he said. “There is no reason to rush anything.”
That said, Phelan says he hopes to keep with his initial timeline of having the wind turbine installed and online before year end.
Coventry residents will have their next chance to weigh in on the windmill project during a public comment period at the end of the town’s next board meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Aug. 11 in the Coventry Town Hall. According to Phelan, those wishing to speak will each have three minutes to address the board.
“We haven’t bid it out yet,” the supervisor reported Monday, when asked about the status of the town’s windmill project. In May, Coventry’s town board authorized Phelan to seek proposals for installation of a 153-foot tall, 10kW wind turbine to generate power for the town hall and senior center.
“I expect we’ll be out to bid no later than the September board meeting,” he said.
Phelan asserts that the majority of Coventry’s town residents are in favor of the plan, including those who live adjacent to the property. But following a statement the town supervisor made on air during an interview with a local television station, where he said all of the “immediate neighbors” were in support of the initiative, more and more people are speaking out in opposition.
One of those townspeople is John VanSteenburg, who owns 24 acres adjacent to the town park. According to VanSteenburg, the area the town has staked out for the tower is only 10 to 15 feet from his property line, and less than 150 feet from the home his mother occupies on the property. His own home is approximately 300 feet from the site, he said.
“He asked me for my support and I didn’t give it to him,” VanSteenburg said, recalling a conversation he had with Phelan earlier in the year.
VanSteenburg says his opposition to the project is not fueled by a “not in my back yard” mentality or, as Phelan has suggested, politically motivated. The 25-year Coventry resident said he has nothing against wind energy, but questions the decision to put the windmill so close to the town park.
“I think it’s great that John is thinking of green projects ... (but) putting the thing in the park is not the best idea,” he said, since it is so well used by town residents.
The town highway garage might be a better option, he suggested, and since it likely uses more energy than the hall, would give Coventry a “bigger bang for (its) buck.” He also suggested that if Phelan had gone about it differently, he may have been able to garner more support.
Phelan’s television comments about the community’s support for the project didn’t win the favor of Coventry resident Terri Townsend.
“That’s not what I heard at the meeting,” she said.
Funding for the project is her biggest concern.
“I’m not against going green. I’m all in favor of it,” the Cahoun Road resident explained. “My concerns are the cost.”
Phelan has estimated the town’s share of the $70,000 project at $20,000; which he said will come from scrap metal sales and the sale of timber from town-owned property off Wylie-Horton Road Extension.
According to Townsend, proceeds from the scrap metal drive have gone to the town highway department in the past. If that money is diverted, she fears taxpayers will be required to fill the gap.
She also expressed concerns about who will cover the cost of repairs to the wind turbine, once it reaches the end of its 5-year warranty. She’s also concerned that Phelan has decreased his initial cost estimates for the project from $80,000 to $70,000.
“We’re asking questions that we’re not getting answered,” she said, explaining that she’s not yet entirely convinced that the windmill will even generate enough power to offset the town hall’s current utility costs.
There is also the matter of the remaining $50,000 of the project’s expected total cost, which Phelan has said will be funded through state and federal grants. Specifically, $20,000 from President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and $30,000 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
Some, including Coventryville resident Joyce Besemer, are concerned about the availability of these funds, particularly the NYSERDA incentives Phelan has expressed such confidence in.
The town supervisor has stated he expects to receive $30,000 in grant funding through the state agency for the project. But according to information readily available on the NYSERDA website, www.nyserda.org, the maximum incentive allowed under the New York Energy $mart program is $25,000.
With the wind turbine model they are interested in installing, and the proposed tower height, Coventry could qualify for the full $25,000, if the funds were available.
The “if” is what has Besemer worried.
“Grants are not a sure thing these days,” she said.
A total of $300,000 was made available in the most recent round of funding - which closed on June 30 - to cover wind projects across the state, including residential and commercial as well as schools and municipalities. When the next round of funding will open remains uncertain. Once it is, timing is everything, as completed applications are accepted and granted funding on a first come first serve basis. And certified installers are only allowed to submit one application per calendar month.
According to Phelan, there is a simple answer to this concern.
“If we don’t get the full grant funding we anticipate, we won’t do the project,” he said.
The township will also need to meet NYSERDA’s siting requirements in order to receive funding. Those on the agency’s website specifically state a turbine of this size must be 300 feet from any “human-occupied structure.” While Phelan has stated publicly that obtaining an exemption from this would be “no problem,” according to NYSERDA exemptions for these minimum distances apply only to structures owned by the property owner seeking to install the tower. While the town could potentially be exempt with regards to the town hall and park, there are still the two residences on the VanSteenburg property to consider, at least one of which is clearly within the specified minimum distance.
Again, Phelan does not see this as insurmountable, but admits it will need to be taken into consideration.
“If we can’t move the criteria, then we’ll move it,” he stated.
According to the supervisor, the town will take whatever time it needs to get it right.
“The wind has been blowing by here for 200 years,” he said. “There is no reason to rush anything.”
That said, Phelan says he hopes to keep with his initial timeline of having the wind turbine installed and online before year end.
Coventry residents will have their next chance to weigh in on the windmill project during a public comment period at the end of the town’s next board meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Aug. 11 in the Coventry Town Hall. According to Phelan, those wishing to speak will each have three minutes to address the board.
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