County hears
wind farm rebuttal
Staff writer
Contradicting planning and zoning consultant Russ Ewy, Goessel resident Brian Stucky presented alternative answers Monday to five questions county commissioners had asked in September about wind farm plans.
Earlier this month, planners submitted Ewy’s answers to five questions commissioners sent to them in September.
Before Monday’s meeting, Stucky submitted numerous pages of his own research on commissioners’ questions.
Stucky disagreed with Ewy’s analysis of the potential effects of expanding Sunflower Wind into four southwestern townships. He predicted that allowing the wind farm to expand would be contested by the city of Goessel.
“What you’d have is an industrial installation in a rural area,” Stucky said. “From what I’ve heard from commercial pilots is that they don’t want to fly anywhere within five miles of a turbine.”
If turbines were added in East Branch, West Branch, Liberty, and Menno townships, that would effectively shut down Hillsboro’s airport, he said.
He also said there were esthetic concerns. As an art teacher, he sees the turbines as visually unpleasing.
Ewy’s report said population density in three of the townships was similar to that in other townships that already have wind farms, but the population in West Branch township is denser.
Stucky said Ewy had underestimated turbines’ effect on groundwater.
Commissioners voted to have county counsel Brad Jantz draft a proposed extension to a moratorium that they passed last year.
They plan to discuss wind farms after a May 22 planning and zoning committee hearing on numerous changes commissioner Clarke Dirks wants.
“I spent a year and a half researching this, and most of this is from legislative action,” Dirks said. “I took my time to do this for the county to give it to the county so we didn’t have to pay someone. I think it’s time to let the public look at this and talk about it.”
Planning director Sharon Omstead said a few of the changes Dirks wants might not be legal.