Protect public, expand Cape setbacks

Protection of the public must be paramount. After reading the Cape Vincent engineers' recommendation of 1,200-foot setback from public roads, I was astonished to read one of the committee member's comments, "The chances are so minuscule. I don't see why putting these restrictions on these roads is reasonable." My response is: it is not a chance I want to take with my family, friends or fellow citizens. So why did they choose a 1,000-foot setback instead of 1,200 feet? Do they know something that Bernier and Carr, a professional engineering firm, does not know?

In Denmark a turbine only 200 feet tall threw a 60-foot piece of the wing over three times the tower height; smaller pieces were thrown over 7.5 times the tower height. In the case of a 425-foot tower, that would be 3,000 feet. This can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLInrjUtFGI.

Quoting the Vestas Wind Systems Mechanical Operating & Maintenance Manual, "Do not stay within a radius of 1,300 feet from the turbine unless it is necessary. Make sure that children do not stay by or play nearby the turbine." It is pretty clear that if the employees are warned to stay back 1,300 feet, the town should keep them at least 1,300 feet away from the public, as well as fencing that 1,300-foot ring to prevent children from playing there

Why should the employees of Vestas be kept safer than our children? Why are we deemed unreasonable if we are asking for the same safety? I hope the town realizes they are going to be responsible for the safety issues that arise along with the financial gains of the turbines. If we are going to turn Cape Vincent into an industrial zone, we must protect the public. We must insist on at least a 1,200-foot setback, not 1,000 feet, for the safety of the public.

John Byrne

Cape Vincent