The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind, planners hope.
Windmills, and their green-energy potential, were the topic of a class recently for Independence Township Planning Commission.
‘We know that’s the up-and-coming thing in the next few years and we want to be prepared for when someone wants to do this in the township,? said Commissioner Joan McCrary.
‘It came in front of the planning commission at the last meeting and we all decided we didn’t want to talk about it until we were able to take the course,? said Chairman Sam Moraco. ‘Now that we have, we’re going to revisit it.?
Moraco said the issue should come before the planning commission sometime in May. They will discuss an ordinance regulating windmills for residential or commercial power, which can be sold back to utility companies.
‘We learned a lot of good things on the size of them, what they do, their effect, and what things to look for,? he said. ‘There are a lot of small ones out that are not obtrusive that you can put on your house and generate your own power.?
The ordinance would include safeguards to protect people around residents who want to pursue windmills, noted Moraco.
This would include things like tower height, distances from neighbor’s property, noise levels, tower construction materials, climbing hazard avoidance, overhead or underground wires, emergency situations, and state law requirements.
The class was given by the Michigan Citizen Planner.
McCrary noted, she wasn’t sure if Independence has the space for commercial windmills.
However, not everyone was in agreement that windmills were a good thing. Curt Carson said he has a problem with Michigan legislation ‘forcing a market as oppose to the consumer demand creating the market.?
‘We live in communities because we like the community, we like the environment, we like everything about it. We buy property here, buy homes here, and build businesses here and so on. It doesn’t make any sense to me that you have somebody come in and force you to do something you don’t want to do,? Carson said.
‘I’m not saying we don’t want to do it because I don’t know and I am only once voice on a commission and one voice on a board of trustees, but I certainly don’t like the concept of any governmental entity telling you that you have to do something, no matter what it is. If the people think it’s good and they want it they’ll let us know.?
Commissioner Joseph Lawrence said he is just beginning to ‘digest the information.?
‘Obviously it’s very interesting? A lot of the applications they’re talking about right now are in the northern and western part of the state of Michigan. It doesn’t look like there is a whole lot of demand right now,? he said. ‘It’s part of our continuing education as planning commissioners to get us up to speed on various potential issues that could be taken place in the community.?
Moraco sees it as a good thing.
‘If you can generate your own power and become independent, save money, and be green, that’s all good, as long as it doesn’t affect your neighbor,? he said.