BETHEL — Fears that wind power developers could push through wind farm projects in town without an ordinance in place to regulate them, led to a 4-1 vote at Wednesday night’s Planning Board meeting to seek a 180-day moratorium.

Planning Board Chairman Allen Cressy drafted a letter that asks selectmen to form an ad hoc committee to draft a wind power ordinance to put before voters at the annual town meeting in June 2010.

The letter also asks that a six-month moratorium on the erection of wind turbines — both commercial and personal — to be established as quickly as possible to allow an ordinance to be created and placed before voters.

“The town is hanging out on a limb right now because we don’t have a wind power ordinance,” Cressy said. “Rumford just approved a 180-day moratorium.”

Cressy said that Planning Board assistant Vicki Rackliffe has already been approached by a developer with a turbine company.

Bethel’s only regulation that could be used as a measure with which to regulate wind mills is the building code, which states that structures can be no higher than 2½ stories.

Cressy then asked the board if a Bethel ordinance should include personal wind turbines.

“A wind turbine for personal use might be erected without any oversight on the part of the town,” Cressy said, reading from his letter.

Planner Jon Cowan agreed with Cressy’s assessment to include personal-use turbines in with commercial wind farms.

“We would be on safer ground if you cover both,” Cowan said.

Planner Francis Dumont, the lone dissenter, argued that while everybody wants green power now, people will resent being restricted by 180 days.

In other business, planners got their first look at three proposed subdivisions totaling 49 single-family residential lots.

The first, Farwell Mountain Estates Subdivision, consists of 22 lots on 53.72 acres in a Phase II project.

Applicant agent Rick Dunton of Main-Land Development Consultants of Livermore Falls said lot sizes range from 1.27 acres to 3.97 acres with the average lot size at 2.26 acres.

It would be accessed off Holt Hill Road.

The second and third projects, both of which are represented by Bob Berry of Main-Land, are Phase II of the Mountain Valley Subdivision by Dumont Enterprises LLC and the Nordy Hill Subdivision by East Bethel Road LLC.

The Dumont project off Taylor Swift Road is comprised of Dumont, who stepped down from the board, and his son, Simon.

Berry said they are proposing 13 lots on a 40-acre parcel, but only 35 acres are being subdivided. Francis Dumont is keeping 5 acres for his home.

Nordy Hill Subdivision, accessed by East Bethel Road, consists of 14 lots on 92 acres, of which, 47 acres are being retained by the owner for development in five years.

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