BY DANIEL WILLIAMS
KINGS — Ogle County residents and public officials have a lot to consider regarding wind turbine projects after hearing about first-hand experiences with them Tuesday night at Kings School.
A gym full of about 80 residents, including several locally elected officials, heard from DeKalb County residents about their personal experiences with industrial wind projects and the effects turbines have had on their lives.
The meeting Tuesday night was hosted by Ogle Wind The Fourth Community, a group comprised of area citizens who oppose a wind turbine project proposed late last year by Illinois Municipal Power Agency called Eagle View Wind. The proposal of the joint-action agency is for a set of up to eight wind turbines that might be located near IL Route 64, west of IL Route 251 near the Village of Kings.
Many members of Ogle the Fourth are White Rock Township residents where many of the proposed turbines would be located. Representatives from the group have voiced concerns about the project’s effect on property values, health and benefit to the White Rock Township area.
Rochelle City Manager Ken Alberts said the project is still in the process of technical analysis and is not expected to go back before the Rochelle City Council in the near future.
“We are looking at things such as issues with power quality generated and how or if it would impact our distribution system,” he said. “... I don’t anticipate any information that would result in being able to move forward with a recommendation for some time.”
DeKalb residents who have been battling with wind turbine companies since 2003 now said their presentation was to educate the citizens on the adverse effects they’ve personally experienced. The group has continued their efforts since the turbines went online in December and are seeking litigation.
“It sounds like a 747 parked in your backyard,” rural Shabbona resident Mel Hass said about the sound of the turbines.
Another rural Shabbona resident, Mary Murphy, explained the sound at night like a dryer with a shoe in it, right outside her bedroom.
Hinshaw & Culbertson Attorney Rich Porter who opened the informational meeting with a presentation called, “Don’t Get Blown Over By a Wind Farm,” said a study has compared the noise to a leaky faucet in the middle of the night.
Though the panel of DeKalb County residents admit some of their complaints don’t occur around the clock, they said problems are affecting their everyday lives.
Others like rural Waterman resident Ron Flex and his wife said the turbines have made them physically ill since being turned on. Flex said his wife became nauseous the first day they were turned on. Something he attributes to the shadow flicker from the rotating of the propellers.
Shadow flicker occurs when the sun is at an angle to produce a large shadow from the propeller of a wind turbine as it rotates around. The repetition of the shadow fading in and out is considered an annoyance.
Noise seemed to be an overwhelming complaint from each of the speakers.
Porter said that even though no noise seems present when standing below one, the turbines create a noise short distances away and can sometimes be amplified when inside a home.
Also included in the list of complaints with the turbines are lower property values, speculation about tax revenue, the inability to negotiate the contracts with the companies, and negative effects on livestock and other wildlife.
Porter urged local officials to adopt special use ordinances that deal specifically with wind turbines, something Ogle County doesn’t currently have.
“You should be doing something about your ordinances,” he said. “There are a variety of developers circling your county.”
Ogle County board member Jim Barnes said after the meeting the ordinances will be looked into.
“This opened my eyes,” he said.
Another county board member Larry Boes said the presentation definitely gave him a negative outlook on wind turbines, but said he’d like to hear more from residents.
“It’s given me a wealth of information,” he added.
Speakers also urged attendees to educate themselves whether they were considering allowing the turbines on their properties.
Only one couple, Dave and Debbie Jordal, of rural Kings, said they were considering placing a turbine on a property they own on the Lee-Ogle border.
The Jordals said money was the big draw to their consideration, but after hearing the presentation are reconsidering.
“I think it’s slowed us down,” said Dave Jordal.
Debbie Jordal said she didn’t realize how many side effects were attributed to the turbines.
The Jordals said they’re going to continue to educate themselves by attending more public hearings in the area until they reach a final decision.
Porter warned the crowd to be very skeptical of what they hear about tax revenue being a major benefit for schools. Taxation for the turbines as currently exists expires in 2011 and he warned there is always the possibility of them becoming tax exempt because of their portrayal as green technology.
Since the Northern Illinois Municipal Power Agency is a municipal agency and not subject to real estate taxes, representatives of the joint-action agency have said that a required Ogle County Special Use Permit will have binding language that will require equal compensation as compared to the tax requirements that a private utility would be expected to pay. City staff have said NIMPA’s intention is to pay the compensation, even if there is no set requirement.
Porter said even if a provision is drawn up, the county should still amend their ordinances to further protect themselves.
Speaker and DeKalb County resident Tammy Duriavich added that people need to stop labeling areas with turbines as wind farms and view them as industrial.
“If you can’t plant it, harvest it, breed it…it’s not farming,” she said.
Duriavich explained the group doesn’t oppose renewable energy, but said she believes the turbines are not a good example of efficient green technology because of how much land they take out of crop production and for various other reasons.
“We’re not against renewable energy,” she said. “We just think it could be done responsibly.”
