Falmouth Wind Turbines Fate Only Days Away Board Meeting 6/3/19

This past April the Town of Falmouth sent out an RFLOI, Request for Letters of Interest Wind Turbine Host Agreement. The Select Board has determined and voted the wind turbines will never spin again in Falmouth.

The letter requested private or public interest with enough land to host the two towns owned110 decibel Vestas V-82 type 1.65 Megawatt wind turbines. The host agreement would benefit both the town and other parties.

The Massachusetts court system in June of 2017 agreed with the Falmouth Zoning Board the turbines are a nuisance and shut them down.

The letter also states: Failing to find a qualified host or failing to negotiate a mutually beneficial host agreement under a separate and subsequent procurement as the first preferred priority option, the Board of Selectmen will seek to pursue other alternatives, in a descending priority order, which may include the following:

(1) sale of wind turbine(s);

(2) enter into an agreement which removes the blades and nacelle and repurposes the tower(s) for use as communications towers, and lastly;

(3) dismantle the turbine(s) and remove for private use.

The letter further states any response has to be received by the town no later than May 30, 2019. This Monday, June 3, 2019, would be appropriate to announce the results.

The Massachusetts Clean Water Trust and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection brokered a 5 million dollar Power Production Agreement with the Town of Falmouth using ARRA, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 stimulus funds for Falmouth Wind II.

The Town of Falmouth and various Massachusetts state agencies and officials may have committed a substantial and specific danger to public health and/or safety accepting ARRA stimulus funds to issue grants/ loans to build its second wind turbine Falmouth Wind II.

It remains unclear if Falmouth taxpayers will pick up the 5 million dollars loan/grant.

The state as far back as April 5, 2013, refused to finance removing the 110-decibel wind turbines that were in part purchased from a semi-quasi state agency that knew the turbines were as loud as a rock band playing 24/7 before construction started.

Vestas the manufacturer of the turbines had warned prior to construction of the turbines :
"The Town has previously been provided with the Octave Band Data / Sound performance for the V82 turbine. This shows that the turbine normally operates at 103.2dB but the manufacturer has also stated that it may produce up to 110dB ."

Note # The August 3, 2010 Vestas Noise Warning Letter Has Never Been Made Public By The News Media or Government Officials