By Scott MacKeen
Staff Writer
6/4/09
Residents attending a Wind Energy Committee meeting last week got a glimpse into what wind turbines could look like in Milton.
Photo simulations showing where turbines could be built in town indicate that the structures, even at 480 feet, would go largely unseen by their neighbors.
Residents on Randolph Avenue, Ridgewood Road, Rose Street, Fletcher Steele Way and Chickatawbut Road – near the Granite Links Golf Club – would be among those who would notice the blades of the turbines poking out slightly above the tree lines if the structures were built on the former landfill adjacent to the golf course.
The whole of each turbine would be clearly visible to golfers at Granite Links and mostly visible to those at Wollaston Golf Club. However, at a distance of 1,200 feet from the nearest home, only the blades of the turbines would be visible to residents through the trees and produce no noise, according to a presentation the Wind Energy Committee gave at the outreach meeting.
Richard Kleiman, chair of the committee, said he was surprised at how little of the turbines is visible in photos. The simulations show how they would appear with a turbine added digitally. The work was done in collaboration with the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, which is also in the midst of studying the site’s feasibility for wind turbines. The town has a $65,000 grant from the MTC.
“I think some people are going to be surprised by the results we’ve found,” Kleiman said at the May 27 meeting, adding that “you almost can’t see anything” from most views in town.
The photos were shot from roads that run near the landfill site, in the Quarry Hills area. Shots taken from Cunningham Park, Milton Academy and Loews Estates also show only a portion of the white blades appearing above the trees. In many of the images, the view of the turbine wasn’t apparent and had to be pointed out.
However, simulations from views at the golf courses show the turbines would be clearly visible nearly in their entirety. But Kleiman said even as they would be visible at those locations, the noise that wind turbines make are minimal and cannot be heard past 200 feet.
“The noise is almost completely canceled out past 200 feet. We’re well past that point,” he said.
The town may also hang a large balloon about where the turbines would go for a period of time for residents to see where they would be built, Kleiman added.
Annual Town Meeting approved a zoning plan for the turbines last month. Under that plan, they would have to be built at least 1,200 feet away from the nearest dwelling, 1,100 feet from the nearest state highway and 1,150 feet from the nearest public road.
Another Town Meeting, possibly a special fall meeting, would be asked to accept a financing plan, likely to involve bonding to build the turbines, Kleiman said. The plan would first have to be brought to the Planning Board, where special permitting and site review is required. Kleiman said that will happen once the MTC concludes its study in a few weeks.
“We’ll have a much clearer picture of what we’re talking about by the summer,” Kleiman said, adding that public hearing will continue to field questions and concerns.
According to a recent estimate, each turbine would cost around $4 million to install and $20,000 annually to maintain. Town officials are also eyeing stimulus and grant money to cover some of the costs. The town could be eligible for a zero-interest bonding plan through a federal government wind program, officials say.
One turbine would generate between $600,000 and $900,000 in energy savings each year, and two could produce enough energy to cover the town’s annual energy bill, according to the estimate. To achieve the savings, the energy is sold back to NSTAR and the town receives a deduction on its energy bill, Kleiman explained. For between three and seven years – the time Kleiman thinks the town needs to break even on construction costs – a portion of the energy savings would go toward the cost.
Kleiman, an independent energy consultant who has overseen similar turbine projects, said he is personally excited about the potential of seeing turbines in Milton.
“I think it’s going to be great to see these in town,” he said. “We want all the neighbors involved. They can get a look at it and decide what they think.”
On the night after the turbine meeting, Town Administrator Kevin Mearn told Selectmen he has heard only good things from residents about the project.
“People are really enthusiastic about turbines, and I think I’m understating that,” he said.