Pendulums of Peril: Schools and Wind

Laura Peterson got up at the January 22 school community information forum and sarcastically said, “take emotion out of this.”   She was giving argument that such a position is an obvious disconnect from reality. The comment was likely aimed at Selectman Kevin Murphy, who asked School Superintendent Gifford to keep “emotion” out of her budget presentation to the board of selectmen earlier this month.  

Miss Peterson is right that passion and conviction must be worn on one’s sleeve when something of tremendous value is being threatened.    

Early on during the town's wind turbine siting mistake, I didn’t want to show emotion in front of others.  Since this has become a protracted search for answers and for relief, it’s been relayed to me by sincere friends, that I’ve become out of control.  The emotionally stoic career (34 years) Air Traffic Controller has been reduced to being... out of control.  Why?  

Protected by the cinder block walls, I’ve bust into tears in my basement with no one around as I’ve confronted the welter of emotion.  Desperate to find answers and some tangible means of permanent relief, I’ve set upon an advocacy campaign through writing and persistently pressing questions and concern to officials.  

Local, as well as the state’s government has a wider obligation to the citizen that it has asked to take up the wind energy challenge.  Deriving all of it’s powers from the people, the government should surely give care to ALL of it’s people.  The school system’s, as well those suffering neighbors around the wind turbines.  Local and State government should dispense it’s power with full attention to the people’s protection, addressing the futures of both a sound mind and body. 

A formal, coordinated government action, given the precept of wind turbine siting and public protection, has long been required.  The Department of Public Utilities has now been dispatched to investigate.  It’s notable that health (either mental or physical) is not the purview of the DPU.

The Falmouth citizen knows well the willingly sacrificed for the wind energy cause promoted by the State.  For example, the Town Meeting approved (repeated) funding of the town’s wind energy project.   Now, after the continued suffering of some residents, common humanity cannot easily erase the circumstance of the unsuspecting citizen that has been cast off as a casualty for the renewable energy cause.  

The Falmouth citizen once embraced the vital interest of wind energy, as we should continue to equally embrace the intrinsic value of a good education. However, the major difference, during the wind project process, no citizen agreed to the forfeiture of their nieghbors basic right protections.

A truer accounting of health and property impact is demanded.  Similarity, a truer accounting of why the school department is the only municipal department incurring health benefit costs redistributions. In terms of wind, numbers, over numbers are heralded to reduce climate change, increase both job creation and revenue windfalls, as well as forging to meet state wind energy goals.  In Falmouth, no amount of arithmetic is consolation to the community in terms of it’s threatened loss of school system benefit, nor to those who would expect the assurance of where they call home... 

being a safe and healthy place to live, sleep, work and play.