Quincy Mayor Koch withdraws support for Moon Island wind turbine

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch has asked the city of Boston to drop plans for a wind turbine on Moon Island.

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In a letter to the city of Boston, which was released to Quincy residents today, Koch said he is withdrawing support for the two cities' joint project, and will cancel a community meeting scheduled for next Tuesday on the proposal.

“I did not come to this decision lightly, and I make it only out of an abiding trust I believe we have built together that is based on listening, honest dialogue, and working as partners in the best interest of our community,” Koch wrote.

The two cities had proposed the wind turbine as a way of harnessing the location's strong winds to produce 1.6 megawatts of electricity. Boston owns the 40-acre island, which falls within Quincy's borders.

The announcement is disheartening to the City of Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino said in a statement soon after the letter was released.

"I'm disappointed that we were not able to move forward with this model clean energy project that would showcase our cities' commitment to climate action and green jobs," Menino said. "Moon Island is uniquely situated for a community scale wind project, as it is nearly a mile away from the nearest residents and has virtually no noise or shadow impacts in the residential areas. Notwithstanding the merits of the project, we will honor Mayor Koch's request.”

Initially, Koch said, he had heard support for the project after Boston Mayor Thomas Menino approached him with the idea two years ago.

A community meeting in May 2010 reinforced that sentiment, and eventually led to other discussions about neighborhood issues, such as limiting the hours of the Boston Police gun range on Moon Island, providing Quincy residents access to both Moon and Long islands, and reconstructing Dorchester Street.

Although Koch initially thought the idea for a single utility-scale wind turbine, which would generate enough clean energy to meet the annual needs of 750-1,000 homes, was a smart one, Koch said that after speaking with Squantum neighbors over the last several weeks, it became clear that there was a strong opposition to the turbine.

Residents have raised questions about the financial aspects of the project, and expressed concerns about how the 397-foot-tall structure would mar the landscape.

A public hearing on Feb. 8 drew more people than the City Hall meeting room could accommodate, and officials had scheduled an informational session for next Tuesday.

“It is my hope that this dialogue will continue even though the community has made its voice clear that it will not support a wind turbine on Moon Island,” Koch wrote. “I also wish to stress that the City of Quincy remains committed to pursuing alternative energy.”