Published on November 15, 2006

BARTON — Representatives of UPC Wind visited with residents and anti-wind opponents at the Barton Memorial Building on Monday evening.  The stated purpose of Monday’s meeting was to address the direct impact the Sheffield and Sutton wind farms would have on the town.  Seventy-five residents and visitors turned out to join in the discussion.

Some residents like Deborah Crane-Foote expressed outrage at UPC’s handling of relations with Barton Town and Barton Village.  She took particular exception to engineer Gregory Johnson’s use of the past tense.  He seemed to imply that the project already had the blessing of the town and village, she said.

“You talk about it like it’s a done deal,” she said.

Others like Linda LaValle wondered why UPC hadn’t approached Barton earlier in the process.  Construction of the wind turbines would go far beyond the need to travel through town.  It would also include forever changing the visual landscape on the affected ridge lines, she said.

“Don’t you think we deserve to have someone come up and say, ‘What do you think of this?’” Ms. LaValle said.

During the presentation Leila LaRosa, UPC’s outreach coordinator, joined Mr. Johnson, a consultant from Greenwood Management Company.  Mr. Johnson opened the evening by highlighting UPCs intentions in Barton.

Barton was chosen as the best route for moving the wind turbine components.  Trucks would enter the town and village from I-91, travel along Route 16, turn right at the Barton Memorial Building, continue up Main Street and turn right onto Duck Pond Road and from there to the mounting sites.

“Just the oversized loads would have to come this route,” Mr. Johnson said.

There would be ten oversized loads required for each of the 16 proposed towers, he said.  Among the loads would be 150-foot-long trailers bearing the turbine blades, a truck bearing the nacelle or generator housing, and others to carry the actual tower sections.  The tallest section would be 14 feet high, the widest load 14.5 feet, and the heaviest load would weigh 100,000 pounds.

“I’m having trouble envisioning how a 150-foot-long load will get around this building,” said resident and Town Agent Bill May.

“These are very special trucks that can be steered from both ends,” Mr. Johnson replied.

“This is a very special corner,” answered Mr. May.

No more than three loads are likely to pass through town on any given day, Mr. Johnson said.  The trucks needed to move them are scarce, limiting the number available on any given day.

“The trustees and selectmen can tell us we don’t want you to come through at these times or on this day because we have a parade,” Ms. LaRosa said.

Rupert Chamberlin, chairman of the town selectmen, asked how far UPC was willing to go to upgrade Duck Pond Road to accommodate its trucks.  He also asked how much traffic residents could expect to see on the roads once the towers are completed.

UPC is willing to take whatever steps are necessary to widen or reinforce the road for its truck traffic, Mr. Johnson said.  The company will remove or leave any improvements or alterations as the town decrees.

“If you want it to be permanent, we’ll leave it, if you want it removed, we’ll remove it,” he said.

Dave Snedeker, chairman of the village trustees, asked if UPC would be willing to discuss impact fees.  The village has a lot of its water and sewer infrastructure buried under the road, he said.

“Any problems caused by increased traffic might not show up until a later day,” Mr. Snedeker said.

“I can’t give you a definite yes or no, but UPC would certainly be willing to discuss that,” Ms. LaRosa said.

Residents of Duck Pond Road voiced concern about how long the project would tie up their road.  They also worried about the construction noise that would disrupt their enjoyment of the outdoors and of Crystal Lake.

“I fail to see how I am going to enjoy having any of these trucks on the road,” said resident Richard Clay.

“We might as well get an allowance from you to move to Florida while you do this,” George Bonnette said.  “We bear the cost and the discomfort of log trucks and snowmobiles and four-wheelers using our road now.  We do it because we’re nice people, but there’s a limit to being nice.”

As the evening wore on, discussion moved increasingly away from the transportation issues UPC had hoped to address, and veered toward a hostile discussion of the project itself.  The negative tone did not escape the notice of those in attendance.

Don Nelson, a longtime opponent of the Lowell wind farm project, dropped in to voice his concerns about access to the towers.  He had seen documents that said the area around the towers would be declared off limits from December through April, and asked if any such conditions were attached to this project.

“I don’t want to jump on you because you’ve been jumped on all night,” said Mr. Nelson.  “I’ve got a sinking feeling that this land is going to be off limits to everything because of ice throw.”

The Clipper Liberty class turbines proposed for this project are designed to stop in the event of ice buildup on the rotor blades, Mr. Johnson said.  The turbine will not start up again until the blade has sufficiently warmed to drop its ice load.

“I know of no agreement that would limit access,” Mr. Johnson said.  “That’s up to the individual landowners.”

“We don’t actually own the land,” Ms. LaRosa added.  “That’s not our decision to make.”

Barton is one of three routes UPC is looking at to get the oversize loads to their ridge-top sites.  It is also the preferred route at this time, Mr. Johnson said.

“In the end it’s not our decision,” Ms. LaRosa said.  “It’s the Public Service Board that makes the decision.”

That remark met with disagreement from Mr. Chamberlin.  Ultimately, the decision as to whether or not Barton will serve as the travel route for the oversize loads lies with the town, he said.

“We have the right to permit it or not permit it,” he said.  “It is a three-rod road, and we have control of it.”

Westmore Selectman Nancy Mallary urged the town and village to consider the wider implications of the wind farm in making its decision.  Route 16 serves as a primary corridor for Westmore residents, she said.

“It’s a regional issue,” she said.  “It’s not just happening to Barton, it’s happening to all of us.”

Since UPC changed its proposal, the town of Barton has sought party status in future hearings, Mr. Chamberlin said.  The town failed to gain party status in prior rounds because it had filed too late, he said.  UPC would not object to the town gaining status in this project, Ms. LaRosa said.

“As a select board we have tried to remain neutral in this,” said Mr. Chamberlin.

“Why does the select board wish to stay neutral?” asked Mr. May.  “This is our environment.  This is our town.”