Published: October 18, 2008 10:52 pm      

If this thing falls, guess where it just might land

I need some help from my Garrett County neighbors. My wife and I own a home on Backbone Mountain, which is located next to the first turbine in the proposed Roth Rock wind power project.

It will be 1,185 feet from my bedroom to this 476 foot tall industrial structure, which is nearly as tall as the Washington monument but only two “monument lengths” away. Except in this case it’s not a benign stone structure. It’s mechanical with large, noisy, and dangerous moving parts.

This turbine will also be located within 378 feet of two other lots in our subdivision. That means if it simply falls over, it could land on those planned houses. Future projects will directly affect even more home owners in Garrett County. To all of us, this is a question of safety and of protecting the emotional and monetary investments that we have made in our homes.

I am appalled by the apathy of Garrett County officials as well as state officials to our situation. The commissioners appear determined to allow wind projects to proceed in Garrett County without concern for the residents. I live in an un-zoned area of the county, but this should not mean it’s a “free for all.”

I have read that the Planning Commission has proposed several common sense approaches to dealing with development that would also address issues related to wind power development, but since they only serve in an advisory capacity they have mostly been ignored by the commissioners.

The tall structures ordinance that was proposed over the summer would have been an obvious, legal way to deal with wind turbines, but that was ignored by the commissioners. Most other local governments require adequate setback distances to address safety and nuisance issues, so at least they attempt to manage windmill construction. Again, the commissioners have been silent.

My wife and I bought property in Garrett County over 10 years ago because of its beauty and the friendliness of the people. That beauty is now obviously being threatened, and we’re beginning to question that friendliness, at least at the government level.

As a part-time resident, I don’t have a feeling for where the public-at-large stands on these issues. Are the vast majority of Garrett County’s citizens happy with what the commissioners are and are not doing? If not, please tell them so, and keep telling them until they listen. It would really be the “neighborly” thing to do.

Victor Fickes

Backbone Ridge Subdivision

Garrett County