Falmouth Voters Faulted For Wind Turbine Expense

Starting In 2010, the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts constructed a pair of Vestas V82 1.65 MW wind turbines at their wastewater treatment plant. After the first wind turbine became operational, nearby residents started complaining about the chest pounding noise.There are many interesting circumstances related to the wind turbines in Falmouth.

The Town of Falmouth was aware prior to the construction of the turbines knew the turbines generate 110 decibels of noise and would exceed 50 decibels of noise at up to 200 residential homes around the wind turbines. The town had a 2005 KEMA Inc map, Vestas noise warning letter, and emails from the manufacturer of the turbines.

The Town of Falmouth with full knowledge of the dangers of the noise proceeded with no special permit as recommended in the 2005 KEMA Inc report. Special Permit 240-166 would have required additional noise studies and notification the up to 200 residential homeowners.

The Town of Falmouth is guilty of assault and battery on the environment an environmental crime.The environment belongs to all of us.

The turbines do break state noise guidelines as stated in the Town of Falmouth documentation some of which the public has never seen.

June 2017 the Town of Falmouth and Zoning Board of Appeals filing a lawsuit against each other agreed to a single judge in Massachusetts Superior Court. Barnstable Superior Court Judge agreed with the Falmouth Zoning Board that the turbines are a nuisance and shut them down.

January 30, 2013, Board of Selectmen meeting

Selectmen in Falmouth voted to send on to a special town meeting the proposal to take down the two town-owned turbines. Falmouth Town Meeting Members sent an article on to a general town-wide election in which voters by a vote of 2 to 1 decided not to fund taking down the wind turbines

Current Select Board Member Doug Jones at the 38-minute mark of the video: "We should work to take down the wind turbines as soon as possible."

Former Selectman Chair Kevin Murphy said: “The most important thing for this community, moving forward, is the fact that this is fracturing our community,” he added. “What I hope to accomplish is to bring this community back together, bring us so we can live to fight another day. … I will agree, and I will work, to be able to find a way to take down these turbines in a thoughtful process. My proposal would be that we put forth an article that would say we would go to the voters and [ask to] take down and dismantle the turbines.”

Video of Board of Selectmen Meeting January 30, 2013

http://www.fctv.org/v3/vod/board-selectmen-january-30-2013-0

In the Spring of 2013 Falmouth voters by a 2 to 1 margin voted not to fund removal of the wind turbines. Falmouth Town Meeting Members have continued to vote every six months up to $300,000.00 for town litigation fees.

After the June 2017 permanent shut down of the turbines Susan Moran, the chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, said:
“It's time to put the matter behind us and move forward.”

The "Friends of Falmouth Wind" after losing an appeal in Barnstable Superior Court have filed another appeal in the Massachusetts Appeal Court.

Falmouth Town Meeting April 2018 --

Town Meeting Members who have been voting up to $260,000.00 every six months for wind turbine litigation will be getting wind turbine sticker shock at Town Meeting.

The wind turbine litigation will continue until further notice.