Falmouth 9.5 Million Senior Center Vs Wind Turbine Lawsuits

On May 21,2013 Falmouth residents voted by a 2 to 1 margin not to take down the wind turbines.

At the time of that vote Town Meeting Members and voters were unaware the town had prior to the installations of the wind turbines been warned the turbines were too loud by the manufacturer.

Vestas wind turbine company had sent a letter warning the turbines were twice as loud as those used in studies. General Electric refused to build a single wind turbine because of setbacks.

In addition to the warning letter the town had emails, maps and memos showing the town should have applied for Special Permit 240-166 because the turbines generate 110 decibels of noise. Bypassing the special permit process avoided additional studies and notifications to the neighbors through the Falmouth Zoning Board of Appeals.

The town is awaiting a court judgement on a lawsuit by the town on litigation against its own zoning board of appeals that ended in November of 2016. The town also faces multiple lawsuits this spring over the turbines.

The up to 200 residents around the turbines complain of headaches, loss of balance, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, memory loss, unable to focus, unable to concentrate.

Since 2013 the town has been spending up to $300,000.00 every six months of wind turbine litigation. At the November 2016 town meeting $440,000.00 was approved for future litigation and last week another $212,000.00 was approved to fund legal payouts.

Falmouth officials in 2013 told residents taking down the turbines will cost 15 million dollars. The town put a monetary value on people's health it is that simple and the town voted to keep the turbines.

The Massachusetts courts have previously rejected the town’s claim that shutting down the turbines would cause financial harm because the town is selling electricity back to the Grid

Falmouth faces a vote on May 16, 2017 to approve 9.5 million dollars for a new Senior Center.

A positive vote to build the Senior Center will show the courts the Town of Falmouth can very well afford to take down the wind turbines.

Falmouth voters also have to remember what happened at the $ 67 million dollar high school when they vote May 16,2017