Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Victor to tackle wind turbine codes

Victor, N.Y. — .There are no plans for wind turbines in Victor, but the town wants to be ready for the day somebody applies.

At Monday night’s Town Board meeting, Planning Board member Joe Logan outlined a possible building code to govern construction of the structures — if and when residents decide to erect windmills.

“Rather than being caught without a code for them, we felt it was time to develop a code,” said Logan, who is also a member of the town’s wind energy committee.

The committee started looking into a wind turbine code in May 2007 and began working with LaBella Associates to fine-tune possible regulations late last year. The effort was spurred in part because of generous financial subsidies provided by the state for people looking to install the turbines, and the construction of a single turbine at a home on Brace Road in East Bloomfield, he said.

As currently envisioned, the code would restrict wind turbine construction to single homes and businesses. Large-scale wind farms would be prohibited, Logan said, in part because studies have shown that Victor is not a suitable location for them.

Turbines would also be restricted to no more than 200 feet high. If they were to stand any higher, they would need to have lights, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Other features of the proposed code would include requiring owners to submit a decommission plan detailing how they would removed a turbine if the costs exceed $250,000; requirements for a visual impact study and photographic simulation; and a limit on the decibel level of the turbines.

Throughout the summer, Logan said his committee would give presentations to other town boards and the public. He will give the same presentation to the town Planning Board tonight.

After receiving input from the boards and the public, Logan hopes to have a law on the books by late summer or early fall.

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