By Tom Grace

Cooperstown News Bureau

CHERRY VALLEY _ Most speakers at Monday's night's public hearing in Cherry Valley, attended by more than 150 people, supported a wind ordinance that has been crafted by the town's Planning Board.

For the ordinance to become law, it must be adopted by the Cherry Valley Town Board.

The ordinance would govern how a $100 million, 24-turbine wind farm planned by Reunion Power of Manchester, Vt., would be erected and operated on hills east of the village of Cherry Valley.

David Little, Reunion's project manager, has called certain parts of the proposed ordinance unworkable, but nearly an hour went by at the public hearing before a Cherry Valley resident took this position, too.

At issue are setbacks and maximum allowed noise levels in the wind ordinance. The local law would assure that turbines would be at least 2,000 feet from the nearest off-site residence and 1,200 feet from the nearest lot line.

It also calls for noise levels from the turbines to be no more than six decibels above background levels at property lines.

Speaker after speaker, beginning with Lynn Marsh, praised the planning board for offering protections to those who would live near the turbines. Most then asked the town board to enact the law.

Diane Wells, of Cherry Valley, said she supported the law, but wished it had stronger language to protect the property values of affected owners.

Carl Waldman, of Cherry Valley, was applauded after saying the project has created "a great divide in Cherry Valley" and Reunion has been exploiting the division.

Dan Ferrone asked the town board to support the planning board. Those with the firm, he said, "are looking out for their pockets."

Richard Mark, also a resident, took issue with the law. "As a property owner, you're taking my rights away," he said. Mark said that if the ordinance is enacted, he will be unable to erect a windmill on his land.

Later, resident Patrick Rooney said the law is "a classic example of excessive regulation." Barbara Perry of Cherry Valley added that the setback and noise requirements need to be amended.

These critics of the proposed law were sandwiched between many of their fellow residents who said they like the proposal or want it to be more restrictive.

Otsego County Rep. Philip Durkin, D-Cherry Valley, thanked the planning board "for taking the middle path" and told town board members, "I urge you to pass this ordinance as it stands."

Little and Steven Eisenberg spoke near the end of the hearing, asking that Cherry Valley enact a law that protects property owners but is not so restrictive that a wind farm cannot be built.

The town board did not act Monday night but will accept written comments through Oct. 10. The proposed law will probably be on the town board's agenda for its Oct. 12 meeting, according to town Supervisor Tom Garretson.