BARTON —First Wind representatives came before the Barton Selectmen on Monday night to discuss their proposed use of town roads to access the Sheffield work site.The company has applied to the town for overweight permits to use Duck Pond Road.The permit would apply to the 132 loads the company expects to haul through Barton.
Though a handful of opponents to the Sheffield wind turbine project were in attendance, Rupert Chamberlin, chairman of the selectmen, made it clear that this was a discussion between First Wind and the selectmen.
“This is not a public hearing, this is not a debate,” he said.
Mr. Chamberlin did permit JoAnn Stefanski to address the board during the time allotted for privilege of the floor.That time, however, preceded the appearance of the First Wind engineers by half an hour.Earlier in the evening Barton resident Brian Hanson presented the selectmen with a petition protesting the use of the town’s roads for the wind farm.Mr. Hanson is also the supervisor for Barton Village.
Ms. Stefanski reminded the selectmen that voters at a special meeting in January 17, 2007, voted unanimously against allowing First Wind, then known as UPC, to use the town’s roads.The townsfolk at that meeting agreed that the presence of wind turbines on the horizon would negatively affect the scenic character of Crystal Lake, she said.
“I am asking you to deny their request,” Ms. Stefanski said.“Crystal Lake is the basis of our economy and we wouldn’t want to see it damaged.”
Ms. Stefanski also urged the selectmen to consider what actions the town could take if First Wind failed to follow through on any of its promises.Layoffs among state employees suggest that direct oversight from the state may fall short leaving the town entirely at First Wind’s mercy, she said.
“If First Wind doesn’t follow the rules, what will Barton do?” Ms. Stefanski asked.
As the selectmen pored over the voluminous document supporting their permit application, Josh Bagnato, First Wind’s environmental coordinator, assured the town fathers that this document exists precisely to protect the town and the company.It lays out the exact route, coupled with conditions drawn from earlier discussions with the town and general conditions attached to state overweight permits.
On that very matter, the discussion bogged down.While the application referenced the state overweight permit and First Wind’s intention to follow the letter of those permits, a copy of that permit was not included in the document.The selectmen acknowledged that it was difficult to agree with permit conditions sight unseen.
“I didn’t realize that the state permit would be this important to you,” Mr. Bagnato said.
The state permit was not included because getting one is usually a pretty painless affair, said David Ertz, First Wind’s director of engineering construction.The company does not have a state overweight permit, because it has not yet negotiated a final contract with any particular transporter.The transporter would in turn be responsible for securing the state permit, Mr. Bagnato said.
Securing a transporter and the state permit between now and the start of construction in July shouldn’t pose any significant problems, Mr. Ertz said.In the present soft economy, it should not be especially difficult to find a qualified transporter, he said.
The town typically deals directly with the transporter when issuing its overweight permits, Selectman Robert Croteau said.In this case, however, First Wind is applying for the permit, not the individual transportation company.Knowing what the conditions of the state permit are would help the town formulate any criteria it sees fit to impose, he said.
“There’s no reason to have two different sets of criteria if the two don’t meet,” Mr. Croteau said.
First Wind has proposed to begin construction in July, with the first of the loads passing through Barton during an eight-week period between September and November 30.That timeframe was met with some incredulity on the part of the selectmen.
“You’re going to have a lot of slippery roads between then,” Mr. Chamberlin said.“I have to question if that’s a good idea.If you go to November 30 you’re asking for problems.”
The company’s priority is ensuring that its components reach the work site, said Jim Goodman, First Wind’s project manager for construction.That priority alone dictates that First Wind would consult with the town on any road improvements and give notice of when loads would be passing through.
“Obviously we have a stake in making sure they can pass this road and get to the site,” Mr. Goodman said.“Once a wind project starts it doesn’t stop.We need to get those turbines up and generating electricity.”
Ensuring that the road is capable of handling these loads suggests that the road must be improved before construction starts, Mr. Croteau said.He asked if the company has decided on who would perform the necessary work, and offered the use of the town’s road crew and equipment.
Using the town’s crews has not factored into the plans to date, Mr. Bagnato said.Given the tight timeframe, it is very possible that the town crews would be busy attending to town matters and unavailable to perform the work.That said, he did acknowledge that the preference would be to hire a local contractor to perform the roadwork, and local gravel suppliers to provide the material.Using local crews is not only the most cost-effective option, but it also takes advantage of local expertise, Mr. Goodman added.
“They know the road and they know the local material,” Mr. Goodman said.
The financial assistance First Wind could provide to the town for road upgrades is significant, Mr. Croteau said.Currently the upper portion of Duck Pond Road is a Class IV highway, and it seems likely that it would need to be upgraded to at least Class III standards to make it passable to vehicles of this size, he said.
“I’d be a monkey’s uncle if your road didn’t come out better after we’re through,” Mr. Goodman said.
Mr. Bagnato offered to have a pre- and post-construction video survey of the road conducted by a qualified engineer amenable to both the town and First Wind.That survey would enable both sides to determine whether or not First Wind lives up to its promise to leave the road in at least as good condition as it started.
The work necessary to upgrade the road is not nearly as daunting as it seems, Mr. Goodman said.The road is actually much straighter than roads used in other wind projects the company has undertaken, he said.
Given the weight distribution of the loads, each axle would carry approximately 20,000 pounds, Mr. Bagnato said.Given that Duck Pond Road is posted with a 24,000 pound weight restriction now, there is nothing beyond the length and width of the loads that should unduly affect the road.
“If your culverts can handle the weights now, it should be just fine when we go through,” Mr. Bagnato said.“Of course the main difference is that the road doesn’t normally have 132 loads traveling over it in eight weeks’ time.”
Mr. Goodman has identified several dozen possible turnoffs along the route.The idea is to provide regular traffic with places to pull to the side if they encounter one of the oversize loads.Approaching vehicles will be warned by advance escort vehicles.
Asked about First Wind’s plans to clear limbs from the road right of way, Mr. Ertz emphasized that the company has no intention of cutting down trees.Indeed, the bulk of the limb clearing is expected to occur on the Class IV portion of the road, and its sole purpose is to ensure that the widest loads, the base of the towers that measure 14 and a half feet, would be able to pass unobstructed.
Repeating a concern brought up by Ms. Stefanski earlier in the evening, Mr. Croteau asked if First Wind intended to cut 100-foot swaths along the travel route.
“I don’t know where that comes from, but it’s not accurate,” Mr. Goodman replied.“Our widest load is 14 and a half feet, so we have no need to cut a 50-foot swath on each side.”
In closing, the selectmen agreed to meet with representatives of First Wind for a walk-through of the route on Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m.The selectmen could then formulate any conditions they seek to attach to the company’s permit.
Monday night’s discussion carried with it an unforeseen complication.Bernie Ash of the Duck Pond Ridge Runners ATV club had come before the board to seek permission to use the upper two and a half mile section of the road for ATV traffic.The town had granted the club permission to use that section of the road last summer.
Mr. Croteau said that the town was not in a position to grant the request until matters had been worked out with First Wind.The combination of construction and oversize truck traffic with ATVs could lead to problems, he said.
“There’s also a question of whether or not on a normal summer we want ATVs on that road,” Mr. Croteau added.
“That is a whole other kettle of fish,” Mr. Ash acknowledged, regarding the use of the road by First Wind.“If you find out for sure, I’d like to come back for a visit.”
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