Company wants to measure
Hamlin's wind speed and direction

While other towns are studying placing moratoriums on wind tower construction, the Town of Hamlin is hosting a public hearing on a notion to construction meteorological towers (METs) in the town. The towers would measure whether wind energy would be viable in the town.

At the April 10 public hearing, Competitive Wind Ventures of Massachusetts will make a presentation to the town on the construction of two towers that would be used to gather wind speed and direction statistics. The towers would be six inches in circumference and 197 feet tall. Town of Hamlin Supervisor Denny Roach said the towers would be equipped with "passive" antenna and anemometers. "The MET equipment would gather data of wind velocity at various heights," he said. "After a determined period of time the data would be collected, analyzed and the town would have to make a decision then as to if, or when, we would want to install wind towers."

The towers would not be lighted and the information is automatically gathered and called in to the monitoring company via cell phone. If approved, the towers would be placed in the Cook and Redman Road area and would be in place to collect date for up to two years.

Opponents of wind derived energy and wind towers say the towers impact areas negatively because of the noise generated by the rotating blades. Deaths of birds flying into the propellers are also cited as reasons for not wanting the towers.

Wind Power New York (www.awea.org/wpny) reports that wind-derived energy is the fastest growing energy technology in the country. They say wind power is clean and efficient.

The public hearing will begin at 7 p.m., Monday, April 10 at the Hamlin Town Hall.

March 26, 2006