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DeWitt County Land Use Committee Hears Concerns About Potential Wind Farm

DeWitt County residents filled the DeWitt County Board room Monday night in support of a proposal for a change in ordinance for a wind farm on the northwest side of the county near Waynesville.
 
Ken Shaffer addressed the County Board's land use committee for roughly 20 minutes and discussed topics ranging from variance of the towers to studies and other concerns surrounding the structures.
 
Shaffer hopes his comments and the support behind him will begin and continue the dialogue.
 
 
The proposals presented by Shaffer ask the County to do a shadow flicker study, set back from structures at a distance of six-times the structure height and a reduction in tower height, among other requests.
 
 
Among other requests from Shaffer, wildlife studies along a decommissioning plan for the structures. He wants to have the decommissioning plan revisited, updated and covered every three years.
 
 
DeWitt County Zoning Administrator, Angie Sarver indicates a number of the requests from Shaffer have already been studied.
 
 
Development Director for Trade Wind Energy, Tom Swierczewski (swear-chess-ski) says he heard a lot of concerns that he felt were valid, and some that he felt were not workable.
 
 
Swierczewski indicates opposition to their projects is not anything new to him. He says Trade Wind Energy is very much a community minded company and they want to get all the facts out there for everyone to have.
 
 
The land use committee will take in to consideration the things they heard from Shaffer. There was no action Monday night. 
 
Once the land use committee approves the language in the ordinance. The language would still need to be approved by the regional planning commission, the zoning board of appeals and then ultimately the county board.
 

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