Rumbling over wind power
Vineyard owner can't wait for turbine
7 comments below
David Page says the town is stalling his effort to put up a 120-foot wind turbine at his vineyard in Mattituck.
"David Page wants to be able to do what he wants to do, when he wants to do it," the supervisor said, blasting Mr. Page for complaining that town bureaucracy has kept him from erecting a 120-foot wind turbine at his vineyard on Oregon Road in Mattituck.
Mr. Page acknowledged that he would have the $93,000 wind system blowing on his property tomorrow if he could, and that he wants to be the first local vineyard to be powered by renewable wind energy.
"The clock is always ticking and the wind is always blowing up on Oregon Road. Every second I wait costs me money," said Mr. Page, 50, who runs Shinn Estate Vineyards with his wife, Barbara Shinn.
"I don't know why [Mr. Russell] resorts to personal attacks. He's trying to depict me as the impatient, bad guy."
Mr. Russell noted that town code allows for wind turbines on farms, but the structures must be set back at least 300 feet from the property line. The wind turbine proposed by Mr. Page would be 140 feet from his neighbor, Martin Sidor, a potato farmer.
Mr. Page and Ms. Shinn were denied a building permit in April and their variance application to the Zoning Board of Appeals is not expected to be heard by the board until August.
The fate of their proposal could tip the scales in the use of wind energy in Southold, said Nick Albukrek, co-owner of GreenLogic, an alternative energy company in contract with Shinn Estate for its proposed wind turbine.
"There are plenty of people waiting to see how this pans out to determine whether they move forward or not with a wind energy system," he said.
"I think the town is being extra careful. We commend them for being visionaries in creating the code," Mr. Albukrek continued. "They're trying to do the right thing, but I think they need to be more educated about what is possible and what is not."
Mr. Page said the code's 300-foot setback provision is exorbitant and serves as a major deterrent for wind energy.
"It forces most farmers to go through a variance process that is expensive and takes a very long time," Mr. Page said. "My concern is that the setback was put in to slow down or stop the installation of wind turbines in Southold Town."
If Mr. Page applied the current setback rule in putting up his wind turbine, he would lose an acre of grapevines and would have to trench hundreds of feet to bring power from the turbine to the point of use. Moreover, the farther away the turbine is from the point of use, the lower the voltage supply.
The key impetus for the wind turbine is its increasing affordability. The Long Island Power Authority would provide a $49,000 rebate and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering a grant worth up to 25 percent of the turbine's cost.
The savings would mean that Mr. Page and Ms. Shinn would pay about $20,000 out of pocket -- and that's before a 30 percent tax credit. And when you consider the couple would save $8,000 a year in energy costs, the turbine is a "no brainer," Mr. Page said.
Town Councilman Al Krupski agreed, adding that the town's shift toward wind and other renewable types of energy is inevitable.
"There's a shortfall in the code," Mr. Krupski said. "It shouldn't be 300 feet. Obviously, you need a fall zone from your neighbor's property, but you have to be able to put it somewhere on your property where it's going to work."
The councilman predicted that the Zoning Board of Appeals will approve Mr. Page's wind turbine. Mr. Russell said he too assumes that the wind turbine dream will ultimately become reality, but he added that Mr. Page must "wait his place in line."
"He's not the most important person in Southold Town. He wants the law narrowly defined to fit him perfectly to a T," Mr. Russell said. "He has to wait for the process to take place. The code is meant to apply to 53 square miles of town, not just David Page."
bharmon@timesreview.com
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7 comments found
wind+maintenance = solar : 6/1/2009
The maintenance of moving parts crushes the actual value of a wind turbine. A wind turbine and a solar system installation cost roughly the same. Yes, the wind is excellent on Long Island and wind turbines create an extraordinary amount power in comparison, but a wind turbine wont last 20-30 years. They sure dont hold a 20 year warranty. You can have a daily, steady stream of energy and less headaches with solar. Especially for a vineyard, who has the space for a ground mount and the concealment of grapevines. I have previous experience with wind turbines, and I guarantee you, you will be kicking yourself when it rattles itself apart within 3 months. Do your research, check the data. Find someone to explain what it all means, then get a second opinion from another company (JUST to confirm the information). Dont expect something with moving parts to work for free. That would be silly.
wind turbines : 6/1/2009
I recently returned from Ireland. Europe is way ahead of us in the area of conservation (water, electricity, etc), but the view of wind turbines atop the rolling green hills was eerie at best. It was more than difficult to look at. And the whoosh sounds were equally creepy. The natural beauty of this area is also a resource worth conserving! I agree with the above suggestion to look into solar panels.
from all angles : 6/1/2009
My comment is in support of WIND ENERGY. Not necessarily any parties involved in this particular dispute. I helped draft the very code in Southold Town (and other townships as well) and Scott Russell makes some very valid points, as do others. I have installed many wind systems, and speak and teach about this technology often. It is a good technology, but not without its pitfalls, just like solar, which also has its own characteristics. There is no PERFECT solution, and sometimes the end user must utilize the resource they have on site, and this varies greatly. I see no problem with locating the turbine farther from the point of utility interconnection, and although there will be a slight electrical loss, it can be mitigated. I dont know many details regarding this install, but $93,000 seems pretty steep a price for this system. I would caution Mr. Sidor (neighbor) before he makes any statements, as locating a wind energy system in close proximity to the property line, only in that it could impact the performance of another wind energy system, if at some point Mr. Sidor would like to install one. If anyone has any questions, or would like to learn more about wind or solar energy implementation, please feel free to contact the Southold Rebnewable Energy Committee, or myself at http://www.windsine.org Again, please view this issue from all angles and all parties involved.
wind energy : 5/31/2009
the wind energy code, which I helped draft, is a good code. Prior to the adoption of it, Mr. Page would not even have been allowed to apply for his project. This is the very law that makes his turbine possible. The fact is the code only requires a setback of the hight of the tower plus 10 feet in most cases. That is an easier criteria then the State calls for. Only the property line bordering residential structures needs to have a 300 foot setback. It is not at all unreasonable to ask someone who has 20 or more acres of propery to try to make every effort not to locate it right next to any neighbors homes. If for any reason you can't, outline these issues for the Zoning Board of Appeals. Does this really seem unfair or burdensome? The problem here is that based on recent changes to various laws and misc decisions, the ZBA has a heavy workload and any application made takes a few months to be heard. That is the same for any, whether it is a garage, addition or simply a deck. Mr. page asked me to help his case be heard sooner and I talked to the ZBA and there is no policy to put cases ahead of others. I talked to NYPA and LIPA on Mr. Pases behalf who assured me that his grant, once awarded, will be available to him even if the o.k. takes a few months. I also talked to the owner of the property next to Mr. Page who promised to write a letter supporting his application to the ZBA. The fact that Mr. Page has to wait cannot be helped and this is why he is raising all sorts of issues that have no basis in fact or reasonable by any measure. For those of you who truely support alternative energy such as wind power, as I do, then please take the time to understand ALL of the issues involved. Mr. page will do a good service to these types of energies when his turbine goes up but, to ask us to change the law to suit his specific needs is a bit unreasonable. The fact is if he does not get the approval I told him I would be the first to sit down to change the law but, please allow the law to work first. Site selection is a very important component of wind energy and the future will not be sucessful if one tries to pass legislation that forces down homeowners throats. We have other owners pursuing wind turbines out here and not one of them will need a varience. The law will work in most cases, however, to remove the component that requires neighbors to weigh in if it is going to be located near their houses is foolish. In Mr. Pages case, it is only one homeowner who I already got on Mr. Pages side. there is no real issue here. Regards, Scott Russell
Wind Power : 5/30/2009
Every day we waste, is another day of burning more oil and supporting an environment that is damaging to our planet. I hope Mr. Page does not give up his quest to produce clean, renewable energy. Mr. Russell: Please take the high road and figure out a way to make this happen and we'll all win in the end.
Wind or Ego : 5/30/2009
I cant belive that in this day in age that Mr Krupski doesnt see that benefit of revisiting this variance sooner. It sounds like you have an Ego maniac in office. People of Southold, take note at re-election time!
Commercial Windmills : 5/28/2009
Actually, I am shocked there is less community interest in this project. While wind turbines are the Green "flavor of the week" and saying anything against them is, in the public eye, tantamount to killing kittens, there are many community negatives to this project. This town has taken large steps, at great expense, to preserve our bucolic vistas. In fact, Oregon Road, where this commercial windmill project is located, is listed as one of the most scenic farm vistas in all of New York state. Now we are going to allow Mr. Shinn, and potentially others, to ruin that view, for their own personal financial gain. Plus, a 120' tall tower, located a mere mile from the Mattituck Airbase will likely be required to have large red blinking rights on it, all night long. How long until Mr. Shinn leases space on his large, tall tower to cell phone companies, the very companies that, in order to preserve our scenic vistas, we made make a fake "Flag Pole" cell tower in Mattituck. All this lip-service to preserve our views, is going to go to waste, so a few "farmers" can profit. In effect, by permitting windmills to exist, and to thus destroy our scenic vistas, the town is allowing Mr. Shinn to profit, at the direct loss of the residents of the Town of Southold. Our view is ruined for his profit. Perhaps Mr. Shinn should show that he cares for others in this community, and install solar panels instead.
