Hearing in Barnstable Thursday will include Milton wind turbine

By Natalie Feulner, Town Correspondent

A public hearing on legislation that would establish minimum setbacks for wind turbines -- such as that proposed near the Granite Links Golf Club -- is set for Thursday at 10 a.m. at Barnstable High School.

The hearing will include public testimony about a number of wind turbine-related bills and is being held in Barnstable because the majority of the bills deal with issues in the Barnstable area.

The Milton Conservation Commission gave the town the go-ahead to build the proposed power-generating turbine on public property near the golf club in March; however, construction is contingent on the appeal process.

Coleen Elstermeyer, chief of staff for state Representative Ronald Mariano, a Quincy Democrat, said a resident near the club expressed concern about the turbine's location and its impact on the area. The legislator crafted House Bill 1770 to address those concerns, Elstermeyer said.

The turbine would be built about 80 feet from the golf course. However, Quarry Hills Associates, which owns the Granite Links Golf Club, sued the town saying the turbine would interfere with club operations and violate the lease agreement.

Thursday’s hearing is open to the public, and anyone who cares about the issue can go and testify, said state Representative Walter Timilty, Democrat of Milton.

A decision regarding the issue will not be made at the hearing, but Town Administrator Kevin Mearn said the town hopes to order the turbine by November.

Timilty said he will attend the hearing and testify against the bill “in a respectful but as direct as possible manner.”

More information about the bill is available on the Massachusetts Legislature website.

Natalie Feulner can be reached at natalie.feulner@gmail.com.