Barnstable residents seek meeting on wind companies' plans - Cape Cod Times

Barnstable residents seek meeting on wind companies' plans

Barnstable residents file petition with town for open meeting about offshore wind projects
Heather McCarron

With Park City Wind project going through local permitting, and its Commonwealth Wind project following close behind, both proposed by Avangrid, many residents are calling for a time out and a team huddle.

A petition signed by 518 Barnstable residents has been presented to the Town Council requesting an open meeting under section 8-9 of the town charter"to provide Barnstable voters with the opportunity to express their issues and concerns regarding the proposed Park City Wind and Commonwealth Wind projects," and "to get concise responses" either at the meeting or afterwards, in writing, from town officials.

Under the provision, the Town Council is called on to schedule an open meeting of voters if it is requested in writing and is backed by at least 300 voters. The petition drive was led by Centerville residents Sandy Jones, Joanne O'Connor, Bob Schulte and Chuck Tuttle.

Schulte said the fact that more than 500 voter signatures were gathered for the petition within eight days "should make it apparent" to the council that many citizens do not believe the town and the developer are giving adequate attention to their specific worries.

The permitting for Park City Wind is currently before the Barnstable Conservation Commission.

What is the specific request from the Barnstable petition signers?

The petition specifically requests the council to schedule a meeting at the Barnstable High School Performing Arts Center, or another venue of comparable size, and asks that there be adequate notice and advertisement, and that a hybrid format be used "to facilitate as many voters as possible who wish to participate."

"While we understand Avangrid representatives may be in attendance, this meeting should not be another presentation by Avangrid," the petition says.

The petitioners are further asking that the typical three-minute limit on comments by the public be extended to five minutes, "that it be equally enforced for Town Council members, town management and any Avangrid representatives, and that anyone who asks a question or makes a comment be given at least one, two-minute follow-up or rebuttal question.

As of Wednesday, the group was awaiting certification of the petition signatures by the town clerk's office. Schulte said the petitioners "are looking forward to working with the Town Council" to determine a mutually agreed-upon date, location and format for the meeting.

Residents seek 'open, honest and a truthful conversation' about Avangrid's plans

Tuttle said the citizens want "open, honest and a truthful conversation" about Avangrid's plans. He said his concern is that the projects are the first of their kind in the U.S. "and there are a ton of questions."

"I think there are enough questions that it forces us to effect a pause and find out what the heck is going on," he said.

Tuttle stressed it's not about supporting clean energy or not. He is himself in favor of it, "but we also want healthy people," to ensure the health of the environment and the economy, "and we want to make the right decisions." He said there are concerns about the power cables going through residential areas and fragile Cape Cod environments.

Town Council president admits to having concerns

At the Sept. 21 Town Council meeting, where the petition was presented, Council President Matthew Levesque admitted he has had his own concerns, particularly about power purchase agreements associated with the projects. He said even before the petition came to light, town management was already discussing with Avangrid about scheduling "an update" in October.

He said the council wants to facilitate a conversation.

Jones said it was her idea to start the petition drive. She's had questions and concerns about Park City Wind in particular since hearing about it in April, especially about the proposal to route power cables through an historic part of Centerville.

Before that, she said, "I had no idea Park City Wind was different from Vineyard Wind. I just didn't know about it." Over the summer, Jones said, "I started door knocking, talking to the people along the (proposed) route, and I couldn't believe how many people did not know about it."

She said it's "very confusing" that there are different offshore projects —.Vineyard Wind, Park City Wind and Commonwealth Wind — but they're all associated with Avangrid.

"There's so much misconception out there. A lot of people just don't know what's going on," Jones said. She estimates "maybe 40%" of the residents she's spoken with don't know "and another 60% are just frustrated because they feel like their voices or concerns just don't matter."

She acknowledged Avangrid's monthly community meetings, but said residents want a community conversation with the town officials who are representing their interests rather than getting fed a corporate line.

Schulte agreed.

"All we're hoping to do is get a real dialog with the town," he said, "and just to give citizens a chance to voice their concerns and issues."

Initial dissatisfaction come with Conservation Commission meetings, petitioner says

Schulte said things came to a head around the Barnstable Conservation Commission's review of Avangrid's application for a permit to bring power cables from its Park City Wind project ashore at the west end of Craigville Beach and to route them under the Centerville River on their way to substations further inland.

"The entire process really started after Avangrid refused to honor the Centerville Civic Association's request to reschedule the opening night of the Barnstable Conservation Commission's public hearing for the proposed Park City Wind project until an evening other than the civic association's long-scheduled annual meeting," Schulte said.

Although Avangrid did agree to rescheduling the hearing that was first scheduled on July 11 after residents took issue with the lack of prior notice, it was postponed to Aug. 8, the same night of the civic association's annual meeting that had a lineup of speakers. That date was selected even though the residents asked for a later date because of that annual gathering.

Schulte said many Centerville residents were upset the public hearing wasn't rescheduled for later in August. A number of residents "Zoomed in and commented and had questions" during the Conservation Commission meeting on Aug. 8, and again when the hearing was further continued until Sept. 5, he said.

Avangrid agreed to the Sept. 5 continuance so that more of the residents who had chosen to attend the civic association meeting could have a chance to speak.

After Sept. 5, petition drive begins

When the conservation board closed the public hearing on Sept. 5, leaving "many unanswered questions," Schulte said, "our group of citizens had seen enough and decided to initiate the petition for an open meeting of the voters."

O'Connor said she and others were also upset that the conservation board's hearings were held virtually, despite multiple requests for a hybrid format for those who wanted to present their questions and concerns in person.

"The petition was written with care, approved for content and protocol by the town clerk," she said. "The signatures collected came from people all over the town of Barnstable," O'Connor said. "They want answers. Not from Avangrid with pastries and swag, but from their town leaders."

Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to Barnstable and Brewster. Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com.

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