Grease and oil on Fond du Lac County turbine towers.

Home in a Fond du Lac County wind project: February 2010

Morrison residents reject wind farm in 245-18 vote

Vote asks Town Board to block proposal for 54 turbines

By Tony Walter

March 9, 2010

MORRISON — Town residents voted decisively against wind turbines Monday night.

"It's a system that scars the environment, scars the landscape and pits neighbor against neighbor"

Packing the gymnasium at Zion Lutheran School, residents and property owners campaigned against the effort of Chicago-based Invenergy LLC, whose project is in the hands of the Public Service Commission. In all, 20 people spoke, and only one supported the wind turbines.

The Town Board meets at 7 p.m. today, but Chairman Todd Christensen said the wind turbine issue will not be on the agenda.

He said it will likely be addressed at the annual town meeting in April.

Jon Morehouse, a 20-year-resident of Morrison, proposed the four-part strategy that would:

-Set up a special committee to rewrite the town's wind energy ordinance.

-Ask for a moratorium on all wind turbines until the PSC rewrites its own rules.

-Establish a special committee to research alternative renewable energy sources.

-Have the town fund an intervener to argue its case with the PSC at the estimated cost of $50,000.

The meeting began with residents voting overwhelmingly to allow only themselves and Morrison property owners to speak, although representatives of Invenergy were in attendance.

The speakers emphasized health and economic issues in protesting the fact that some residents have signed contracts to have wind turbines built on their property.

Curt Skaletski said property values would plummet.

"I do not want to see 25 percent of my property value stolen," he said.

Kristin Morehouse, a Morrison property owner, urged support for the purchase of a manure digester that she said would be more effective and consistent than the wind turbines. She said the wind turbines would put the town's water resources at even greater risk.

Resident Don Hoeft said the town should at least seek a delay in the construction of the turbines until more evaluation is completed.

"It's a system that scars the environment, scars the landscape and pits neighbor against neighbor," Hoeft said.

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It's a DOUBLE FEATURE: Oh, Canada, your turbines are as loud as oursAND What brought the 190 ton turbine down? It's two months later and they still don't know