6.2. SR 10-16-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City staff and Metro Wind held a meeting with adjacent property owners at the proposed wind turbine site on July 25,2000. Issues and concerns raised at this meeting include: . Noise - The new generation of wind turbines are relatively quiet. The noise generated is proportionate to the speed of wind. The wind tends to mask the sound of the wind turbine. Birds - Groups like the Audobon Society have expressed concerns regarding the effects of wind turbines on birds. It is staff s understanding that this concern originated when wind turbines were placed on top of grid type towers. Pigeons and other birds would use these structures to nest and raptors would dive in to catch them and be hit by the wind turbine's blades. Metro Wind's propose wind turbine will set on top of a monopole, eliminating any nesting areas. Property Values - This is always a hard issue to talk definitively about. All property values in Elk River, no matter what is in the general area, have been increasing significantly. Small single-family lots that are adjacent to structures similar to the wind turbine, water towers, have not had their property values suffer. The area where the wind turbine is proposed is quit rural, so it should be even less of a factor than a water tower in the urban area of the city. . Safety - One safety issue that was not brought up in Metro Wind's narrative is what happens ifthe wind turbine collapses. The wind turbine's tower is design to collapse onto itself, not tip over. In addition, the tower is farther away from adjacent structures than its total height. EnerJn' City As Energy City, the City of Elk River acts as a geographical focal point for demonstrating renewable energy and energy efficient technologies, services, and products. Metro Wind is a significant partner in Energy City. By choosing Elk River to locate a wind turbine they hope to demonstrate that, even on the low end of the commercial wind resource, wind power makes economic sense. Diversifying our sources of energy is an important push by both the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the US Department of Energy. Wind is a clean logical source of energy. The proposed wind generator will make a bold statement at one ofthe entrances to Energy City. Recommendation The Planning Commission is recommending approval of Metro Wind's request, conditioned on the wind turbine and associated facilities being constructed as presented in their application, noting that there was no public opposition at their meeting. .