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Newry Town Planners Consider Regulations for Backyard Windmills

March 14, 2010 - NEWRY -- If a Newry resident wishes to put up a backyard windmill, should the structure be held to the same visual- and sound-impact standards as its larger, commercial cousins?


The Planning Board debated that question last week, as part of its work in crafting a wind power ordinance.


Planners have been pondering the use of large setbacks from property lines to limit the visual impact of tall towers, particularly from the vantage points of nearby state and federal recreation lands, as well as from roadways.


They have also considered limitations on sound levels and light “flicker” (caused as the blades rotate with the sun shining through them).


Separate categories


To more severely limit large towers, while still protecting homeowners who might want to erect a small one, board chair Brooks Morton said he favored adopting different classifications of towers, according to the size and power generated, with standards tailored to each.


“We should make it easy for the individual to erect a small wind turbine for 10 kilowatts or less for home use,” he said. “From what I’m hearing from people, they don’t want to see the large wind towers. But they want to allow small ones.”


A model wind ordinance created by the state as a guide for towns suggests the smallest tower classification as 80 feet and under.


Morton cited an example of an ordinance from another town that allows shorter towers to be closer to property lines.


But planner Pat Roma felt there should be a single classification, with any standards applied equally.


He noted that the board, in considering rules governing large towers, has set a priority of protecting the scenic viewscape along the road to Grafton Notch (Route 26).


But, he said, a residential windmill on a roadside property could mar the view at close range, just as a large ridgeline tower might negatively impact the long-distance scenery.


“If anyone in the Bear River Valley put up a windmill, it’s going to be visible as I’m driving down the Bear River, so how can that be less offensive than other larger ones?” he asked.


Replied Morton, “If I had one in my field [in the Bear River Valley], it couldn’t be seen from Sunday River. But if you had one on any one of the peaks, one of these large ones, you could see it from Gray. It’s a matter of scale.”


Impact on neighbors


Also a concern, said planner Susan Herlihy, is the visual and sound impact of a residential tower on neighbors.


“It seems to me you would need a certain size parcel to do it,” she said.


Roma agreed that nearby neighbors should also be considered.


“It has to be managed in such a way that it’s not offensive to the neighbors, or harmful,” he said. “I don’t want to say to my neighbor that he is not held accountable to achieve those sound levels, because he’s trying to be a green guy. He’s got to meet those same standards.”


But Morton said he still felt separate categories and standards would best suit Newry.


A homeowner should be able to sell excess power back to the electric company, he said.


Morton said he would do further research to support his argument for different classifications, and present his findings at the next board meeting, on March 17.

by Allison Aloisio, March 14, 2010, Bethel Citizen

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