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RAY BROOK — Adirondack Park Agency commissioners approved two residential wind turbines at their recent meeting: one in Essex, the other in Indian Lake.
In discussion, APA commissioners considered refining their use of "substantial invisibility" as it applies to slender, residential wind turbines, which disappear to the naked eye a mile away.
Commissioner Richard Booth suggested APA Tower's Policy may not be a good regulatory fit for accessory, homeowner wind turbines.
Especially, he said, "if we're going to be in a position to say yes to one neighbor and no to another."
Residential windmill review is changing in step with new APA energy policy, requiring staff to integrate concerns for "energy supply, conservation and efficiency" in all Adirondack Park planning.
Before these, only eight residential windmills had been brought before the APA since 1984.
Taking recommendations from previous applicants, the APA created a computer-generated visual-assessment program to review the impact of windmill height on surrounding public areas.
The first turbine will be built off Christian Road in the Town of Essex on a farm owned by Katharine M. Preston and John H. L. Bingham.
The Southwest Wind Whisper 200 will stand 70 feet and generate one kilowatt of power, about one-third the average amount of energy used in a New York home, said APA Staff Planner Lee Walrath.
The pole holding up the turbine is a slim three and a half inches in diameter, very different from bulky cellular-phone towers, Walrath said.
The windmill will be slightly uphill from a designated scenic view area overlooking Lake Champlain.
But its height is hidden in the valley topography.
The Preston/Bingham windmill is the first project to be reviewed at the APA using the new computer visual-impact tool.
APA planners also consulted the "Breeding Bird Atlas" to assess impact on endangered or protected species.
The Essex tower will be fitted with "bird diverters," Walrath said, plastic coils seven inches long that wind onto guy wires, making them more visible to birds.
APA Regulatory Programs Committee unanimously approved the Essex windmill, which was then approved by the full board.
Preston and Bingham were at the APA meeting and were pleased with the review process.
Preston called the new computer program "fantastic."
"I wouldn't know how to go about doing an (visual) evaluation," Preston said, "and they can do it overnight."
The Essex couple filed the windmill application in March.
"When we started in on the process, the most important thing was reducing our carbon footprint," Preston said, "and for us, the aesthetic aspect was key. This has always been about balance."
Preston and Bingham opted not to work with New York State Energy Research and Development Authority because, in order to qualify for the green energy rebate, their tower would have had to be taller and further from the house.
"We felt it (NYSERDA criteria) didn't fit with an aesthetic focus," Preston said.
APA commissioners also approved a 115-foot windmill with a 7-inch monopole to be built in Indian Lake, just south of Lake Abanakee.
APA will review a general permit for residential windtowers next month.
E-mail Kim Smith Dedam at: kdedam@pressrepublican.com
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