By DEBORAH BEHRENDS Illinois Correspondent SYCAMORE, Ill. — More than 700 people filled the bleachers and chairs in Sycamore High School’s gymnasium Saturday morning, March 21, but just a handful stayed into the wee hours of Sunday morning for the entire public hearing on a proposed wind farm.
The question before DeKalb County Hearing Officer David Dockus – and that will be before the DeKalb County Board next month – is whether wind turbines fall into the category of an “essential service structure” under the county’s zoning ordinance. The project requires a special use permit, which is determined by the DeKalb County Board.
NextEra Energy Resources, owned by FPL Group, wants to build and operate a 151-turbine wind plant; 133 turbines are proposed for DeKalb County, and 18 that already have been approved by the Lee County Board for portions of Lee County.
Testimony on the project was offered by company representatives, lawyers and more than two dozen nearby residents. NextEra’s three-hour presentation on the project started the morning, followed by a question-and-answer session that lasted about eight hours. Public comments weren’t heard until after 9 p.m.
Company representatives responded to a number of concerns – some of which included what effects turbines could have on chickens, honeybees and people who suffer from migraines or attention deficit disorder; proximity of turbines to pipelines and crop dusting planes; and the possibility of turbines falling or catching fire. One of the main concerns raised Saturday was the amount of noise created by wind turbines. Company representatives say they will comply with standards set by the Illinois Pollution Control Board.
“IPCB standards in no way state people will not hear these turbines,” NextEra developer Tom Factor said. “Yes, there will be a quiet sound that will be variable. What causes annoyance to one person may be a quiet whisper to everyone else.”
Factor said at a distance of about 1,000 feet, the closest a turbine will be to any home, the noise level is about 45 decibels – quieter than the inside of the gym where the hearing was conducted the night before when it was empty.
“Last night, in this empty room, the level was about 55 decibels,” Factor said.
Though they packed the gym early Saturday morning in neon green shirts, just a few labor union members stayed until the end of the hearing to voice their support for NextEra’s project as a way to create local jobs.
Anthony Pedroni, the company’s project director, said the company was committed “100 percent” to hire local labor during construction – at least 300 would work at the peak of construction – and that about 20 maintenance staff that will operate the turbines could also be hired locally.
Under the proposal, NextEra would lease the land used for the turbines, and projects $50 million total to be paid to 75 landowners over 30 years, according to company documents.
Company representatives also described a community partnership agreement program, in which 200 homeowners living within three-quarters of a mile of any turbine would be paid $1,000 a year for 30 years.
The special use permit request for the wind farm will next be discussed by the county’s Planning and Zoning Committee on April 1, with the county board scheduled to take action April 15. Dockus reminded those in attendance that, while the upcoming meetings are open to the public, no public input will be heard. |