Debate over 67 wind turbines continues in Dickinson County
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa (KTIV) — The Dickinson County Board of Adjustment held the second in a series of three public hearings on Invenergy’s ‘Red Rock Wind Energy Center.
If approved, construction on 67 wind turbines in eastern Dickinson County could begin this year.
The proposal announced on April 10th is a scaled down version of the original project.
Red Rock officials say they took community concerns into consideration and eliminated 15 of the proposed wind turbines that would have had the greatest visual impact on the Iowa Great Lakes. Even with the amended proposal, tonight’s hearing was attended by dozens of concerned citizens, who filled several courtrooms that held the overflow crowd.
Opponents of the project worry about the project’s impact on residents and wildlife in the Iowa Great Lakes region. Landowners, who have already committed land to the project, say the economic and environmental benefits far outweigh the potential side effects.
“I would say the benefits of this project far outweigh the negatives,” said Ryan Ross, a landowner and founding member of the project. “The school children in the Graettinger Terril School District for instance, they really need this tax benefit that will definitely help them over the next 40 years. IT will increase the ability to give a quality education to those children.”
Project supporters say about 241-million dollars of property tax and lease payments to farmers and landowners are anticipated over the project’s lifespan.
They also say local school districts like Okoboji and Graettinger Terril could see tax benefits totaling nearly 50-million dollars over the lifespan.
But there is a heavy opposition to the project.
“They want to set a turbine really quite close to my home. It would be right in front of my house, in full view of my home. We will experience about 30 hours of shadow flicker each year, and about 46 decibels of sound, pulsating sound, and we will be watching a red light flashing into our house all night,” explained Randy Heikens, Dickinson County Concerned Citizen Group Member.
Other opponents worry about the interruption of bird migration patterns.
They’re also concerned about the “destruction” of the natural beauty of the Iowa Great Lakes.
The Board of Adjustment will hold its third, and final, public hearing Wednesday, April 30 at 6 PM at the Dickinson County Courthouse in Spirit Lake.
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