News Article - Provincetown Banner 6/28/2007

EASTHAM — Now one-third of the way through its nine-meeting charge from the board of selectmen, the ad hoc committee to develop a commercial wind turbine zoning bylaw is ready to tackle the chief contentious issues behind the strange political dance in May that saw the two proposed amendments removed from the warrant on Town Meeting floor. The negotiations are intense among the seven-member committee, but all have agreed that the path to their common goal is paved with mutual respect and civility for one another.

   Tom Reilly, chair of the ad hoc committee, said it was important to him that the group agree to act “in good faith” from the very first meeting.

   “I’ve tried to set a tone to make this go as smoothly as possible, recognizing that it is a hot topic,” Reilly says.

   Reilly is very pleased with the progress the committee has made thus far, and he anticipates having a proposed bylaw ready to present to selectmen by the Oct. 31 deadline. In addition to Reilly, the ad hoc committee is made up of two planning board members, two energy committee members, Philip Hesse, the homeowner who proposed the alternative bylaw, and homeowner Andrew Wells. Reilly, himself, was appointed chair by selectmen because of his neutral position on the matter. The group is charged by the selectmen to draw up a single proposed zoning bylaw.

    According to Reilly, “All parties agree that they want a bylaw that is the best for Eastham and its citizens,” and reaching this goal has been carefully measured in letters and words. The group is working towards assembling the best-fitting elements from both proposed bylaws in the town warrant, as well as a model amendment drawn up by the state Division of Energy Resources.  At the June 20 meeting, members debated whether the word “commercial” should be included in the bylaw name.

   “Are we writing a bylaw to make a wind turbine project attractive to a developer or are we writing a bylaw to protect the neighborhood and make a wind turbine project possible?” asked Wells.

   It was decided to leave “commercial” in, staying in line with the committee’s charge, and to leave the greater issue for a later discussion.

   Wells and Hesse both live near the town-owned land off Nauset Road where the former, selectmen-endorsed proposed bylaw intended wind turbines to be erected. The draft bylaw the committee is working on is not site-specific. Whatever site is chosen, however, will have its access “roads,” not “road,” protected against damage at the fault of the developer, the committee decided.  These seemingly pedantic issues were essential to get out of the way in order to give the group an agreed-upon foundation to work from going forward when it tackles the three major issues facing the future bylaw: general sighting standards, noise and sight plan requirements.

   The ad-hoc committee’s meetings fall under the provisions of the state open meeting law and are open to the public. However, Reilly is resolute that those who attend the meeting must adhere to the same standards of civility as the committee members and that all discussion be germane to forming a wind turbine bylaw. 

“This can’t be a forum for rants against wind turbines,” Reilly says.

As a working committee, Reilly stresses that its meetings will focus on drafting a proposed bylaw that, when complete, will have ample public exposure for opining by both citizens and selectmen.

The ad hoc committee’s next meeting will be at 4 p.m. July 12 in Town Hall.

dburritt@provincetownbanner.com