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Gusts of dissent in wind plans

ARKWRIGHT — Patti Greenstein was encouraged by the words of Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan during last week’s Legislature meeting in Mayville. Before announcing he would not be seeking a second term in November, Horrigan gave a State of the County update regarding the comprehensive plan entitled Chautauqua 20/20.

Unveiled in 2011, the document spotlights key ingredients for progress in our region including tourism, agriculture and historic preservation.

“I viewed the whole thing,” she said. “I think it’s wonderful.”

Greenstein, a Cassadaga resident, agrees with the initiatives in the plan. What makes her worry about those goals, however, is what could be lurking in the near future on the north county’s landscape.

“You cannot have these turbines,” she said. “These things throw ice. You can’t have snowmobilers and cross country skiing, even horse-back riding.

“How does this all fit together? … The whole thing is about promoting agriculture, tourism and recreation. These things do not go together.”

On Feb. 19, the Sunday OBSERVER had a front-page article with photo dedicated to those who back wind turbines around the region. Towns affected include Arkwright, Charlotte as well as Villenova.

On a recent Thursday evening, about 10 residents of these townships gathered at a home on Bard Road to discuss these controversial turbines that are getting closer to becoming reality. Group members, including Greenstein and her husband, Marshall, are thoroughly in opposition to the proposed 500-foot tall structures. That height is similar to the One Seneca Tower, formerly HSBC, in Buffalo.

Sentiments range from town residents not knowing all the details to the worries about bats and birds being killed by the turbines as well as the noise and windmill flicker affect.

Gone, these residents say, will be a quiet, rural setting. Property values of homes near the windmills will plummet. And, quality of life — especially the serene country living — will also be gone.

“I basically wanted the whole township to know what was going on,” said Angelo Graziano, Villenova Town Board member who participated in the meeting. “Since residents don’t know, (the wind company’s) hiding something.”

These in opposition just are not spouting opinions. They have done their homework. Joni Riggle of just outside Sinclairville is concerned about the distance these turbines can be from homes. Charlotte is open to a setback distance of 1,000 feet while turbines in other locations throughout our state and the nation are as far away as 2,000 feet to a half-mile.

“The lawyer (in these developments) works for the wind industry … and brings in these wind laws to towns that are naive. They haven’t experienced this,” she said, noting the decibel level allowable in Charlotte is up to 50. New York state recommends a level of 30 to 40, especially at night.

A good number who support the wind farms are profiting from the placement of the turbines on their property. Some of that cash is a one-shot deal to the land owner — and even the towns and schools districts where these turbines are to be located will not be big beneficiaries.

According to the group, which recently began a Facebook page called Concerned Citizens of Cassadaga Wind Project, five schools and towns in the Arkwright Turbine Project will receive a total of $313,600 in revenue from the project over the next 30 years.

Breaking that out, Fredonia and Cassadaga Valley school districts are a combined $52 million to operate. That annual revenue to the districts — about $60,000 — amounts to less than paying salary and benefits for one full-time teacher.

“All they saw was dollar signs,” Patti Greenstein said of the local town board members. “They see the money and the money is a joke. It’s peanuts.”

In the meantime, once the windmills are constructed, they will resemble those in Lackawanna except for the number. While the Buffalo suburb has eight, our hillsides could have more than seven times that amount.

“The county is trying to get people to move here,” Greenstein said, worried the turbines could add to the population exodus. “But who’s going to want to come here and live? It’s counterproductive.”

John D’Agostino is the OBSERVER publisher. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 366-3000, ext. 401.

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