Elena Powell makes an emphatic point during a recent meeting at Town Hall, while her husband, Edwin, listens. (Photo By Claire Cox)
LENOX — Whether the town will have a windmill atop one of its peaks has become the object of both a careful feasibility study and vehement opposition.
At the center of a discussion among residents of Lenox and neighboring Richmond is the proposal to erect a 140-foot, 1.5-megawatt wind turbine on a site 1,800 feet high near Reservoir Road to generate enough electricity to power an estimated 250 homes.
Members of the Lenox Wind Tower Committee, made up of three Lenox residents and three from neighboring Richmond, unanimously supported trying to go ahead with the project after a 90-minute meeting at the Town Hall on Sept. 9. They selected one of two potential sites on a mountain overlooking the town of Richmond, which Lenox officials hope will collaborate in the project.
Opposition to having any turbine in Lenox was expressed by a Richmond couple, who did not want it looming over their backyard, and by Rene Laubach, director of the Pleasant Valley Sanctuary in Lenox, who expressed concern about possible disruption of bird migration.
Elena and Edwin Powell, who have lived in Richmond for 36 years, were adamant in their opposition to the project and to wind towers in general. Following the meeting, they said they did not want to have to see the proposed tower through their bedroom window and felt it would be too noisy and have an adverse effect on tourism.
The couple went home to start organizing a campaign to halt the project and planned to send letters to Richmond residents to “educate them†about wind towers and their drawbacks.
“There is nothing wrong with wind power — but not on the small hills of the Berkshires,†Edwin Powell said. “It’s fine in places where there are steady winds and it’s isolated from populations, but not when it’s going to be right here on the forefront, on our valuable ridges here in the Berkshires, which are the gilded goose on which Berkshire County now exists.â€
At the end of the meeting, the committee decided to continue working, with the support of the Lenox Selectmen, to take the next step toward erecting a tower. That step calls for seeking an answer to a crucial question: Will the slope be too steep for transporting three 2-ton rotor blades to the mountaintop?
The answer could determine whether the project can go forward. A favorable answer would result in erection of a temporary “MET,†a tower designed to test wind speed and frequency for a year. Erecting the actual tower would call for clearing an area the size of a football field to make room for guy wires to hold the tower in place. Trees would be trimmed to provide a path for the wind. If a wind turbine followed, it would need a much smaller space.
The discussion was led by Town Manager Gregory Federspiel and Kristin Burke of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative in Westboro. Burke reviewed a 10-page study on “Siting considerations for a MET wind resource monitoring tower and for a Wind Turbine.†The study was prepared by Sally D. Wright of the Renewable Energy Research Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
The study was conducted with the authorization of the Selectmen, who voted to support the project as an economically and ecologically sound way to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
Members of the Windpower Committee, who responded favorably to the study, are Jamie Cuhillane, chairman of the Lenox Environmental Committee, committee members Rick Gregg and Andrew Bloom, and Woody Printz, Roy C. Jones and Stephen Corydon of Richmond. Also at the meeting was Nancy Nylen, associate director of the Center for Ecological Technology in Pittsfield, which has supported the windtower proposal.
During the Town Hall meeting, Laubach presented a MassAudubon position statement strongly supporting “public policies and private projects that advance energy conservation and efficiency†and the development of wind farms as a renewable energy source to replace burning fossil fuels.
Speaking for himself, however, Laubach questioned the wisdom of having wind-tower blades endangering birds. He said he was concerned about adverse effects of the proposed tower on the wildlife protected in the Pleasant Valley Sanctuary, which is affiliated with MassAudubon.
Edwin Powell described the sanctuary as “the apple of the Audubon Society’s eye in the commonwealth of Massachusetts.â€
Nylen commended the town for taking a leadership role in examining ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in ways that benefit the environment and economy of the community and region.
“I am impressed by the thoughtful approach that the town is taking in carefully studying the feasibility of generating electricity from wind power,†she said after the meeting.
She recommended that the town hold a public forum at which citizens can ask questions and obtain information to make sound decisions about wind energy.
Eleanor Tillinghast, co-founder of Green Berkshires Inc. in Great Barrington, which is dedicated to preserving farms, mountains and open spaces in the Northeast, said in an interview that the organization is opposed to all windmills.
“We believe there are better ways that are more cost-effective and efficient to ameliorate global warming, to reduce pollution and to cut back on demand for fossil fuels,†she said.
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LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Town meeting on Tuesday approved an almost $14 million fiscal 2027 budget, and approved bylaws for short-term rentals and signage, and for public safety vehicles.
Of the 20 warrant articles, one, Article 7, to use free cash to pay prior fiscal year bills of $941.27 was indefinitely postponed by Moderator David Rolle because the bills were for the fire association.
Some 247 of the town's more than 2,600 registered voters filled Lanesborough Elementary School, debating articles during a meeting that lasted more than three hours.
The town's 2027 spending plan is up more than 10 percent, with the main increases from higher enrollment in the regional schools and the McCann Technical School renovation project.
Voters approved the assessment of $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School. They also approved Article 11, which was the use of $16,298.48 in free cash for the McCann's roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. Article 5 asked the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses, which passed.
Fire Chief Jeff DeChaine spoke to the audience on his articles and the need for a new truck to replace the 1996 fire truck, listed on the warrant articles for a total $813,366, which includes a $100,000 contingency cost on whether a 2026 model-year chassis can be secured before new emissions standards in 2027. If they get the 2026 chassis, that contingency likely won't be needed.
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