I think they’re making a mountain out of a molehill, said Speelman. I’m just baffled. Windmills are getting more attention than they ever have before.
The commission impasse during a straw vote on a compromise to issue a permit for the 50- to 60-foot monopole turbine that would expire after one year. The five-member commission could not take a formal vote as the compromise included a setback stipulation that would have needed Speelman to change the proposed site of the turbine and submit a revised location plan.
Chairman George Coakley and Commissioner Chuck Stump voted in favor of the compromise. Commissioner Bob Bachman and Commissioner Liaison Link Hoewing were opposed.
Coakley cautioned Speelman to consider the possibility of a rejection before he revised his plan.
Bachman and Hoewing proposed tabling Speelman’s proposal for six months while the town develops policies on wind turbines and other alternative energy sources. The motion passed collectively.
Town Attorney Alan Wright said the commission could grant the turbine as an accessory structure if it found the wind mill was compatible with the Central Business District.
Commissioner Jerry Klobukowski testified against the wind turbine as he said it would not fit in with the look of the district. Residents Bob Pierce, an ecologist running for Poolesville commissioner, and Bill Kraegel, a teacher in Poolesville High School’s Global Ecology Studies program, testified in favor.
The viewscape I see is how we all live as humans, and I think a windmill is compatible with that, Kraegel said. If it can be done safely, it’s just another opportunity to put Poolesville on the map for another one of the wonderful things we do.
