Oakfield OKs wind farm TIF district plan

OAKFIELD, Maine — Residents gave overwhelming support for the creation of a new Tax Increment Financing district for a proposed wind turbine project for First Wind during a public hearing and special town meeting.
Just over 100 residents and an additional 40 non-residents crowded into the Oakfield Community Building Monday evening to vote on creating the TIF district. The town voted 81 in favor, with 22 opposed to create the TIF district.
    A TIF district is a public financing method, which allows developers to use future gains in taxes to help fund a project. TIF districts can be used to help fund new projects or redevelop areas within the district.
First Wind was originally granted permission from the town for 34 turbines along Sam Drew Mountain in September 2009 at a special town meeting. Construction never commenced as the Martha A. Powers Land Trust challenged the project. Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court rejected the Land Trust’s appeal in March 2011.
Now, First Wind is looking to expand its project to 50 turbines, with 40 of those located in Oakfield. The remaining 10 are located in unorganized territory. Many of the turbines would be located on a ridge about three miles from Pleasant Pond and Mattawamkeag Lake.
The turbines are similar to the ones First Wind erected at Mars Hill and Danforth and stand at a height of 273 feet. However, from the highest point of the blade, the turbine measures 459 feet. Some the windmills would be visible from Interstate 95.
John Holden of Eaton and Peabody, a consulting group, explained how the TIF district would benefit the town during the public hearing.
Town Manager Dale Morris said the town is scheduled to receive a benefit of about $14.3 million over a 20-year period. It also features a $600,000 gift to the town, which is required to meet the “tangible benefits” clause of the environmental permit application with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The town has identified 14 projects it would be able to fund over a 20-year period with the TIF money it receives from First Wind. Among those projects are the construction of a centrally located public safety building to include the town office and fire station at a cost of about $2.5 million.
Other projects include:
• Acquisition and replacement of fire station equipment, including two new fire trucks, at a total cost of $750,000.
• Local road reconstruction of about 21 miles, at a cost of $7,525,000.
• Purchase and replacement of public works equipment, including a plow truck, grader, backhoe and other equipment, at a cost of $392,000.
• Capital improvements for the village area of town ($750,000).
• Construction of a town salt shed and materials ($900,000).
Each year, residents would vote at town meeting on which projects they would like to fund with the TIF proceeds. The town also plans to create a “local mitigation review process” for public and private noise abatements and also establish a $500,000 fund to mitigate any public or private loss in property values that may occur.
The town would also be able to save some money from its yearly budget by having 20 percent of the town manager’s salary ($12,000 annually) paid for from TIF funds from First Wind, while the town’s code enforcement officer could see 50 percent of his salary ($15,000 annually) paid for with money from the funds.
Any full-time resident who receives a Homestead Exemption on their tax bills would receive a check in the amount of about $2,300 a year for 20 years, Morris said. Seasonal residents, which total about 100 people, will not receive the tax rebate. There are 235 full-time households in Oakfield.
Alec Jarvis, project developer for First Wind, said he anticipates a decision from the Department of Environmental Protection on the wind farm sometime in December or early-January at the latest. Construction would last about 13 months, beginning in the summer of 2012 and finishing in the fall of 2013.
DEP officials collected comments from the public back in August, Jarvis said.
Opposition to the plan
Prior to the town meeting, a 45-minute public hearing on the project was held. Several individuals, many of whom were not residents of Oakfield, spoke out against the project and encouraged voters in Oakfield to reject the plan.
Opponents state they feel the site of wind turbines on the hills surrounding Pleasant Pond and Mattawamkeag Lake will forever be changed if the project proceeds.
A leading opponent of the project expansion, Donna Sewall Davidge, spoke out against the project Monday evening. Davidge is the great-granddaughter of Bill Sewall, a friend of Theodore Roosevelt who guided the president on several outings in the Island Falls area. Her home is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places because of its connection with Roosevelt.
“Out of concern for Oakfield, I wonder how this is going to be in the long run,” she said. “How will you (the town) be guaranteed you will receive these TIF funds for the next 20 years? Do you have a bond to protect yourself?”
She encouraged the board to read a recent article in Newsweek about the misappropriation of funds the federal government spends in correlation to these types of projects. Davidge said she has never been asked her thoughts on the wind farm or how it will affect the aesthetic beauty and wildlife in the area.
“If you think this is going to make you rich, please think about where you are going to be in 20 years,” she said.
Holden said the TIF agreement works in such a way payment back to First Wind would only take place if they pay their taxes. If no taxes are paid, the company receives no money back. If First Wind did not pay its taxes, the town would be able to place liens on the property and ultimately could foreclose on the wind farm.
In a letter to the Houlton Pioneer Times on Nov. 16, Davidge was even more critical of the project.
“The abuse and disruptions of our environment caused by the towers and turbines are an even greater tragedy for us. Not to mention what will become of our wildlife population. Fifteen years ago I bought my great-grandfather’s (Bill Sewall) home to keep his legacy and tradition alive. We take people on Mattawamkeag Lake to do yoga, swim and kayak. We go to Bible Point, a state site where TR (Theodore Roosevelt) read his Bible. Our website is www.sewallhouse.com and our motto is ‘Simplicity In A Complex World.’ The wind turbine farms will make our life here very complicated.”
Ben Walker, the general manager of Va-Jo Wa golf course in Island Falls, voiced concerns on the project.
“This is your decision and your vote,” he said. “However, our golf course was rated the No. 1 public golf course in Maine by New England Golf Guide. That was based on course playability and scenic value. Are we going to see them (turbines) from the golf course?”
Walker added his home is on Pleasant Pond and faces in the direction of where the turbines would be erected. He also asked if the turbines would create a “strobe light” effect with the sun rising behind them.
“If it is something that is going to affect me, how come I have no say in it?” he asked. “Where do you draw the line?”
None of his questions were answered at the meeting. Selectman Cathy Briggs said the town would take his questions and concerns under advisement and once they had an answer, they would share it with him.
An individual who identified himself as Dr. Steinberg of Lincoln used his two minutes at the microphone to launch an attack on First Wind officials, stating the company was $700 million in debt and relying on federal subsidies.
“You people (Oakfield) are getting ripped off,” he said. “You shouldn’t even be voting on this.”
After his two minutes expired, town officials attempted to move on to others wishing to ask questions, which then created a shouting match. At one point, someone from the audience threw a paper at the individual and yelled for him to “go back home.”
“Protect Our Lakes,” (www.protect-our-lakes.org) is a group created by individuals who live and/or recreate on land that will be impacted by the Oakfield Wind Project Expansion. That group posted an online petition, which asked people to sign to indicate their opposition to the Oakfield Expansion. As of Tuesday morning, 581 individuals had signed that online petition. Residency in Oakfield or the surrounding area is not required to sign the petition. Among those 581 signatures are individuals hailing from Oakfield and Island Falls, as wells as people from Victoria, Canada; Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Portland, Ore.
There is also a “Stop Oakfield Wind” page on Facebook.