Ashburnham Planning Board considering wind tower bylaw
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

The Ashburnham Planning Board is looking for public opinion as it begins to develop a Wind Energy Facilities Zoning Bylaw for the town.

"They want to see what sort of support, or what sort of opposition, there is," Town Planner Eric Smith said.

The board members are seeking the opinion of residents, town staff, and members of other town boards and committees as they begin to think about drafting a bylaw. The board is going to hold a discussion forum during the meeting on Thursday, Feb. 7.

"This is for informational outreach," Smith said.

Smith said the goal is not to develop the bylaw for the Annual Town Meeting in May, but it would be to develop a bylaw for a future town meeting. The state has developed a model bylaw, which would open up an entire town to wind farms through a special permit process considered by a town's Zoning Board of Appeals.

Smith said he has thought about developing a bylaw that would create specific areas in town that would permit wind farms.

The Planning Board has not discussed which, if either, setup they would consider, Smith said.

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative has produced Wind Energy Maps that indicate given Ashburnham's hilly topography, the town has a number of areas that would be economically feasible for wind energy facilities, according to Smith.

MTC notes, "commercial wind power using large turbines generally require a mean wind speed of at least 7 m/s (meters per second)." Ashburnham has such wind at a height of 230 feet above ground terrain in the ridge areas. Some of the particular areas are Mt. Watatic, Mt. Hunger, Little Watatic Mountain, Russell Hill and Jewell Hill.

The town's Municipal Light Department is working with the UMass Renewable Energy Laboratory to try and locate a meteorological data tower - the first step in siting a Wind Turbine Facility - within town.

Before the Light Department can construct a wind tower, there must be zoning regulations that permit it, Smith said.

"Right now Ashburnham has the highest rating that's been okayed for wind power that hasn't been tested," said Light Department Manager Stan Harriot.

The northeast corner of town has the highest ranking, he said, but there are other areas that also test high.

The Light Department is already working on a project to add to the town's renewable energy stock. It is working as part a group of 13 other municipal light departments, to buy the Berkshire Wind Turbine Project in Hancock. Harriot said most of the infrastructure for the site has already been completed and they are getting ready to order the 10 windmills.

In 2004, a private developer received a permit from the town's Building Department to construct a meteorological testing tower on property off Byfield Road. Building Inspector Mike Gallant said the tower was never built.

Town officials are holding a public forum to seek input and distribute information about the development of a Wind Facilities Zoning Bylaw.

The forum is Thursday, Feb. 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Senior Center, in the VMS Building, 12 Memorial Dr.