Dixfield wind ordinance vote postponed until November

DIXFIELD — Selectmen decided Monday night to postpone a vote on the proposed Wind Energy Facility Ordinance, which had been set for June 12, to Election Day on Nov. 6.

In the interim, selectmen will conduct a more in-depth study of tax-incentive financing projects in effect in towns with wind farms, and will learn more about the financial impact on the town of a multimillion-dollar project.

Town Manager Eugene Skibitsky said a series of public hearings may be held while selectmen are studying the effects of wind power.

He said selectmen want an accurate sense of how residents feel about wind power and they believe more people will go to the polls in November than in June.

It's boiling down to a yes or no vote,” he said.

If a majority of residents vote for the proposed wind ordinance, that would be a yes and the project proposed by Patriot Renewables LLC of Quincy, Mass., would continue with its approval process. If not, then it will be assumed that residents do not want a wind farm in their town.

If the no vote wins, Skibitsky said, selectmen would set a moratorium on wind farm development while writing a much more restrictive wind ordinance that would be voted on at a later time.

Skibitsky and the board have said that they favor a wind farm in Dixfield.

A public hearing held on the proposed ordinance last week was attended by a majority of people who opposed wind development. And although that was part of the reason for withdrawing the ordinance from the June 12 election, Skibitsky said a lengthy discussion at Monday's board meeting led to the decision that the board wanted a better sense of what the majority of residents want.

Engineers from Patriot Renewables have been studying, monitoring and conducting environmental impact studies for several years on the Colonel Holman Mountain ridge where about 12 industrial turbines have been proposed.

In other matters, the board set a summer schedule for the town's Public Works employees. Beginning immediately, they will work from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday; and 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Friday. This work schedule will be in effect until the Columbus Day weekend in October.

Selectmen also set a shortened regular board meeting schedule for the summer months. Meetings were set for 5 p.m., May 29, June 18, July 23 and Aug. 27.

 

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Comments

gempaint's picture
verified

River Valley

May/16/2012

Dear neighbor,
I am writing to you because you live in a River Valley about to be assaulted by GRID scale WIND projects.

Carthage, vote for a moratorium.

Canton, sign moratorium petition at your town meeting or sooner.

Peru, you have a moratorium until November 2012.

Dixfield residents, sign a moratorium petition at the June polls.

Dixfield, Hart Daley and Scott Belskis have promised to protect the HEALTH and welfare of Dixfield Citizens.

alice mckay barnett
1 Pit road-pobox 588
Carthage, ME 04224
207-418-4404

bucktracker's picture
verified

Comprehensive Plan - Added Info

It appears that the TM, planning board and/or selectboard had already isolated and earmarked Colonel Holman Mountain as a "nice place to put an industrial wind project" when they tried to lay the groundwork for Patriot Renewable by TRYING TO REMOVE COLONEL HOLMAN MOUNTAIN FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN back in 2010.

Let's have a little transparency here and stop conducting business behind the backs of the citizens and without the voters input. The public should have been immediately notified from the onset of Patriot Renewable sniffing around and expressing any interest in a commercial wind project in our town.

gempaint's picture
verified

sniffing since expediated WIND law

KING said
B ran
EXPEDIATED

bucktracker's picture
verified

Dixfield's Comprehensive Plan IS NOT VANILLA

The Comprehensive Plan of Dixfield specifically protects scenic resources and identified (Sugarloaf Mtn / Colonel Holman Mtn / Webb River Falls) in the plan.

TM Skibitsky corresponded with our town's attorney and wrote "that our Comprehensive Plan was pretty (vanilla) and made little (if any) commentary regarding mountaintops.

The selectmen and/or planning board attempted to remove Colonel Holman Mountain from the scenic resource in the Comprehensive Plan, however in November 2010 the citizens voiced their opposition to this and VOTED TO KEEP COLONEL HOLMAN MOUNTAIN AS A SCENIC RESOURCE.

Colonel Holman Mountain is a beautiful pristine ridgeline that overshadows the area of the Common Road known as "Holmantown" where it all started in our beautiful town of Dixfield. It deserves to be protected AND THE CITIZENS EXPRESSED THAT WITH THEIR VOTE IN NOV 2010.

gempaint's picture
verified

moratorium

sign the petition for a moratorium at June vote.

Hart Daley and Scott Belskis have promised to protect the health and welfare of Dixfield's future. Vote them in.

macmac's picture
verified

"A public hearing held on the

"A public hearing held on the proposed ordinance last week was attended by a majority of people who opposed wind development."

This public hearing was open to all citizens , those who favor wind development as well as those opposed.
How many times has the town conducted public meetings/hearings where a vote was held to determine the public's opinion. Every time these votes were upheld and those who didn't attend , but opposed the outcome of the vote, were told they should have attended and voiced their opinion.
The people attending the public hearing on the proposed ordinance left no doubt that they wanted a more protective ordinance to vote on. A petition with 145 signatures was handed to the selectboard and indicated the same public desire.
Now, after 3 years into the process, this board wants to spend what is left of a $10,000 dollar donation from the wind developer to persuade the public to accept wind development. Is it their intent to represent their own interests or the people's interests ?
I suggest that the public hearings proposed by this board be held at the community room at Dirigo High School, because , if the people weren't loud enough for the board to hear them at the first hearing, they will be more than happy to take the board members to the wood shed next time.

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