by Kieron Kramer
At the Grafton Planning Board meeting on Monday, May 16, five applications were submitted and accepted and two public hearings scheduled. The most interesting application was that of Peter Dubacher of the Berkshire Bird Paradise who wants to install three small wind turbines to provide supplemental power for maintaining the well known facility.
The Dubacher application was for a special use permit because Grafton recently adopted a wind turbine law. The wind turbine law is quite lenient for small turbines used by private individuals as opposed to commercial wind farms that would utilize very large turbines. The turbines Dubacher expected to install are approximately six feet in diameter, weigh 185 pounds, start turning in ½ mph wind and look like a bicycle wheel with directional fins. They are model WT6500’s, manufactured by Honeywell, and they produce 1.5 kilowatts in a 31 mph wind. They are available through national hardware chains and can be installed by a licensed electrical contractor. The suggested manufacturer’s retail price is $6,495 each, excluding installation. It was asserted that the wheels, with the spokes that catch the wind inside the rim, are safe for birds. Videos of the turbines in action can be seen on the internet at www.earthtronics.com/honeywell.aspx.
One turbine will be installed on the roof of the main building, one on the barn and one on a pole, Planning Board Chairman Tom Withcuskey said. He added that the neighbors have been contacted and all seem to be on board. The owner of EIB Electric, who will be installing the turbines and control boxes, said at the meeting, “A flag in the wind makes more noise.”
Withcuskey has visited the site. He said that all the necessary forms and applications have been submitted. Withcuskey then made a motion to accept the application, and the Board voted unanimously to do so. A check for the application fee of $75 is eagerly awaited by the Board. The Board also voted, 5-0, to set a public hearing on the application for 6:30 pm on Monday, June 20, before the next regular Planning Board meeting.
Two Minor Adjustments
A minor adjustment, an amendment really, of the Michael Jefferson subdivision on Dunham Road was accepted. Jefferson wanted to move the property line on lot #3 in the subdivision to the stone wall shown on the plat that was originally approved and which he showed to the Board again at this meeting. Moving the line will give the purchaser an extra acre. The extra acre and the purchased lot will be considered one parcel. There will still be three lots; it’s just that one lot will be a little larger, and the lot with 45 acres in the original subdivision will lose an acre. Withcuskey said that Jefferson must reapply to Rensselaer County and that when the survey map is filed it should note that the extra acre is a “non-realty subdivision,” meaning that no building can be done on it. Withcuskey then made a motion to accept the application for a property line adjustment on lot #3, and the Board voted unanimously to accept it. Jefferson wrote a check for $75 on the spot.
David and Susan Cleveland asked the Board for a modification of the placement of the house on their lot on Sylvan Way. The Clevelands were present, but their request was made by their contractor, Tim Giumarra of Cherry Plain.
Withcuskey said he had visited the site with Giumarra and that the Clevelands just wanted to turn the axis of the house and move its location about thirty feet. This will give the Clevelands a better view of Dyken Pond. The move will bring the house closer to the border of the abutting lot, which is to be held forever wild, and, because it is farther from the neighbor’s property on the other side, will create a larger buffer from them. There will be no changes in the water or septic system locations, Giumarra said. Withcuskey said that the setbacks created by the move are well beyond the 100 feet required and that the drains and drainage are not changed, but he would like Giumarra to work out a small change in the driveway location with Grafton Highway Supervisor Herb Hasbrouck. He said a more detailed map showing the rain guard is needed. “Basically, this is a site change,” Withcuskey said, and he made the motion to accept the application for the change. The Board voted 5-0 to accept the application, and the Clevelands gave the Board a check for $75.
Since both of these applications entailed minor changes no public hearings were scheduled for either.
Crandall Subdivision On Bailey Road
Surveyor William Darling presented the application of Wayne and Heidi Crandall for a four lot subdivision on Bailey Road. This was discussed during the informal discussion at last month’s Planning Board meeting. The properties at 84 and 102 Bailey Road will be retitled as one lot with a new tax map number assigned to it and then subdivided into four lots. “This will be subdivided as if from scratch; let’s forget about the past,” Darling said, whimsically.
One lot, of about 3 acres, already has Health Department approval. The parents live on one lot of 4 acres. One lot of 5 acres will be for Wayne and Heidi Crandall’s home. This leaves a 77 acre undeveloped parcel, which raised concerns for Withcuskey about the adequacy of the road to handle more traffic if the 77 acre lot is ever developed. Withcuskey is familiar with the location and said that Bailey Road is narrow and there is an old steel bridge on it. The bridge has been flagged by the County but is still rated for emergency vehicles. Planning Board Member Jim Goyer, who is also the Grafton Fire Chief, said the bridge is just wide enough for a fire truck to pass over. Withcuskey suggested after the meeting that a right of way might have to be deeded to the Town so that if the big parcel is developed, the Town can widen the road. During the meeting he said that there will have to be a site review of the buildings before they will be approved. Withcuskey made the motion to accept the Crandall application, and the Board voted unanimously to do so. The Board also voted to set a public hearing on the subdivision for 6:45 pm on June 20. The Crandalls had to cough up a check for $300 since the application fee is $75 per parcel being reviewed.
Bruno Subdivision On Pondview Road
The Board’s final act was to accept a subdivision application from Ken Bruno for his 11.45 acre lot on Pondview Road, abutting Dyken Pond. Bruno wanted to subdivide his lot into two lots. One will be 6.92 acres; Bruno’s house is located on this proposed lot. The other lot borders the pond and will be 4.53 acres. Pondview Road runs through both lots and will separate the smaller lot into two pieces. The one closer to the pond will be 2.4 acres and was referred to by Bruno as “the water lot.” There was some concern expressed by the Board about whether there was enough room on the 4.53 acre lot for a building and a water and septic system. The County Health Department will determine this. Bruno said that the Health Department application “went in today” and “the perk tests and the County visit are still in process.”
Bruno has presented this project to the Board before, and they are familiar with it so they voted unanimously to accept his application for review now, contingent on the County Health Department tests. A public hearing will be scheduled when the County tests are completed successfully. Bruno wrote a check for $150 and handed it to the Board with his application.
Before the meeting ended, a Mr. Hunt asked where one can get a subdivision form and the subdivision regulations. Withcuskey told Hunt that the application form can be supplied by Town Clerk Sue Putnam and that he, Withcuskey, can give him a copy of the regulations. “Or you can come look at them,” Withcuskey said. The meeting adjourned at 7:36 pm.