Better Plan, Wisconsin

This newscast aired on May 7th in Milwaukee. Since then people from Wisconsin's Fond du Lac County who live in this wind plant have contacted us to tell us of their troubles. It should be noted that the people who are first interviewed in this video are living with turbines that are 10 stories shorter than the ones the rest of the people are living with. To read a day-by-day account of what life under wind turbines in Fond du Lac county has been like since the turbines went on line March 3, 2008, CLICK HERE

WHY DO WE NEED SETBACKS FURTHER THAN 1000 FEET FROM OUR HOMES?

The picture below shows two recently built industrial wind turbines in Wisconsin's Fond Du Lac County.
Now find the farm house.
If you live in Rock County and if you think this can't happen in your township, think again. Developers call it "prospecting" and they've been prospecting in the townships of Union, Magnolia, Spring Valley, Center and Janesville. And these are just the ones we know about.
Think again and then attend your next town board Plan and Zoning meeting and ask them to adopt an ordinance to protect your family and your home. The wind developers tell us that wind turbines sited this close will have no impact on the property value of this home.  What do you think? Would you buy this place?

We opened our mail today and found this letter:

Dear Better Plan, Rock County,

What is a wind ordinance? Can you tell me why my township needs one?

Thanks in advance for your consideration.

A Spring Valley Resident

Dear Spring Valley Resident,

We've been getting a lot of email with questions much like yours and we are more than glad to answer them! A wind ordinance is a set of regulations relating to siting of wind turbines in your township. The ordinance we are urging townships in Rock County to adopt has to do with regulating industrial scale wind turbines -- these are industrial machines 40 stories tall with blade spans wider than a 747. However, the newer turbines can reach fifty stories with even larger blade spans.
    Machines this large have known noise problems, problems with casting large strobing shadows over homes, and each unit requires FAA approved lighting at night much like the strobing lights seen on communication towers. They are expected to be here for at least 30 years and will change life as we know it in Rock County forever.     
    The wind developers would like to be able to put these machines 1000 feet from our homes. This about is 350 steps. Unless a township enacts an ordinance to establish further setbacks, at present the state of Wisconsin allows them to do this.

    The ordinances recently adopted in five Wisconsin townships ask for a set back of 2640 feet. The ordinances do not prohibit a land owner from signing a waiver to allow the turbines to be sited closer than that. If a landowner would like a 40 to 50 story turbine 350 steps from his door, he is welcome to arrange that with the wind developer. (The wind developer most active in our county is EcoEnergy) But for those who do not want such machines so close to their homes, an ordinance adopted by the township gives them this protection.

ARE WIND DEVELOPERS LOOKING TO PUT TURBINES IN TOWNSHIPS BESIDES UNION AND MAGNOLIA?

We know that they have been investigating sites in the townships of Spring Valley, Center and Janesville. Due to the secretive nature of wind development, most of us won't know about plans for wind development in our community until things are well underway.  Wind developers often contact members of township boards first to offer them contracts. In Union township, Alvin Francis, Chairman of the P&Z board there has signed on with EcoEnergy to host a turbine. He has recused himself from the Union P&Z board's work on the ordinance because of this conflict of interest.

We've heard from board members of other townships who tell us they were also contacted by the developer to host turbines, but how many have already signed on, we do not know.

We also know that the issue of working on a wind ordinance has been brought up in the townships of Center, Spring Valley and Plymouth. The status of wind ordinance work in other Rock County Townships is unknown, but residents in these townships are urged to attend their town board meetings and ask their elected officials to begin work on adopting a protective ordinance. Luckily a good, defensible ordinance adopted by five other townships and vetted by five towns attorney's already exists. (You can download them by clicking here)

WHAT OTHER SORTS OF THINGS BESIDES SETBACKS DO WIND ORDINANCES COVER?

Wind ordinances address issues of health, safety and welfare of the residents of the township. They require the construction and operation of turbines to comply with township regulations in order to protect the things township residents hold most dear: Our families, our homes, our community and our land.

The ordinances address turbine-related issues such as:

Road use and repair obligations during and after construction including recording pre-construction road conditions and requiring road restoration to pre-construction conditions
-Noise limits
-Blasting restrictions
-Groundwater contamination during and after construction including depth of excavation limits, well drilling, and surface water run-off management
-Ice throw from turbine blades
-Blade throw and turbine collapse
-Stray Voltage
-Fire prevention and response
-Decommissioning, turbine removal, site restoration
-Review of plan by qualified engineer
-Above ground height limit of turbine
-Requirement of underground wiring
-Remedies for electromagnetic interference of radio, telephone and television signals.
-Setbacks from property lines, homes and other inhabited structures, public roads, power lines, telephone lines, and emergency communication towers
-Spacing and density
-Signage and fencing
-Insurance and indemnification

There are other issues addressed in the ordinance as well.

FOR THOSE OF US WHO LOVE OUR HOMES AND COMMUNITIES AND SURROUNDING LAND, FOR THOSE OF US WHO WANT TO PROTECT OUR PROPERTY VALUES, PEACEFUL NIGHTS, AND NEIGHBOR RELATIONS, YOUR TOWNSHIP'S ADOPTION OF A WIND ORDINANCE IS CRITICAL.

WHY?

Because there will be a push beginning in January by lobbyists for the wind developers to get the state of Wisconsin to take local control over the siting and regulation of industrial wind farms in our own communities and hand it to the Public Service Commission. The PSC endorses the 1000 foot set back and other lax restrictions on wind developers. By adopting a wind ordinance before this issue comes up in Madison, Rock County townships will let it be known that local control over what goes on in our communities is something we've already taken a stand on.

We do not yet know if ordinances passed prior to the possible adoption of this legislation will be grandfathered in, but having an ordinance in place before the legislature re-convenes in January will be a definite advantage.

Below are some of the basic set back requirements in the ordinances passed last week in the Monroe County townships of Wilton and Ridgeville. They closely mirror the setbacks in the Magnolia ordinance passed in July and the ordinance now being readied in the town of Union.

L. Setbacks. Setbacks shall be measured from the outermost edge of the closest of the circular path of the wind turbine rotor blade. The Town Board may increase the following minimum setbacks on a case-by-case basis, in order to protect public health and safety.

1. Participating Property Line: 1.1 times the total height of the Wind Turbine from the nearest property line of a participating property owner.

2. Non-participating Property Line:
Five (5) times the rotor diameter but not less than 1,300 feet from the nearest property line of a non-participating property, unless the owner of the non-participating property grants an easement for a lesser setback. The easement must be recorded with the County Register of Deeds and may not provide for a setback that is less than 1.1times the total height of the Wind Turbine.

3. Public Roads and Highways: 1,300 feet or three (3) times the total height of the Wind Turbine, whichever is greater.

4. Above Ground Power/Telephone Lines: 1,300 feet or three (3) times the total height of the Wind Turbine, whichever is greater, from the nearest above-ground public electric power line or telephone line.

5. Residences & Other Buildings: 2,640 feet from the nearest residence, business, school, daycare facility, church, hospital and other sensitive receptors.

6. Wetlands: 1,000 feet from all sinkholes and wetlands.

7. Water Bodies Setbacks: 1,300 feet from the ordinary high water mark of all navigable water bodies.

8. Parks & Public Property: 2,640 feet from any town, county or state park, property, recreational or rest area.

Better Plan, Rock County invites you to contact us about any questions you may have about how to help your township adopt a wind ordinance that provides protection for your community. Our email address is betterplan.rockcounty@gmail.com

WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW BEFORE SIGNING A CONTRACT TO HOST AN INDUSTRIAL WIND TURBINE?

The following has been excerpted from a document developed by Roger McEowen PhD, Director of the Iowa State University Center for Agricultural Law & Taxation (CALT).

Legal Issues for Landowners

A wind energy agreement should never be negotiated without first having the agreement reviewed by legal counsel. Wind energy agreements are long-term agreements that will impact the land subject to the agreement for many years, likely beyond the lifetime of the landowner who executes the agreement. The following is a list of questions that landowners should ask when analyzing any wind energy agreement:

1. How much of the land will be subject to the agreement?

2. How long will the land subject to the agreement be affected?

3. Based on the property rights that are given up, are the proposed payments adequate for the present time and for the life of the agreement? (Note: The answer to this question requires an understanding of the mechanics and economics of wind energy production.)

4. If the agreement offers an up-front lump-sum payment, is the payment representative of a fair amount for the rights involved?

5. What are the tax consequences of the wind energy payments that will be paid under the agreement? (Note: The answer to this question depends on tax changes at the federal and state levels; the area is in an almost constant state of flux.)

6. Does the developer want to develop the land or simply use a portion of the surface for a term of years?

7. Does the agreement guarantee that a set number of wind energy turbines will be constructed on the land by a specific date and, if not, is the developer willing to guarantee a minimum amount of payments?

8. Are payments under the agreement based on revenues generated by the wind turbines? Can the landowner get information as to how the owner's revenue will be calculated?

9. Is the developer able to sell or transfer without the landowner's consent any of the land use rights obtained under the agreement? If so, will the original developer remain liable if the new developer or holder of the easement right does not pay the landowner or otherwise defaults?

10. What events trigger the developer's right to terminate the contract? Can the developer terminate the contract at any time without cause? If so, how are payments due under the agreement to be handled?

11. What termination rights does the landowner have? How does the landowner exercise those rights?

12. If the agreement is terminated, whether by agreement of the parties or otherwise, what happens to the wind energy structures and located facilities erected on the property? What is the developer required to remove? How soon must structures be removed? Who pays for their removal?

When a wind energy agreement is being negotiated, certain issues are critical to the creation of an equitable agreement. Unfortunately, a common problem with many wind energy agreements is that once they are proposed and submitted to a landowner, the company wanting to execute an agreement tends to refuse to negotiate changes to the terms of the agree¬ment. The company's ability to refuse to negotiate terms of the proposed agreement will depend largely on whether a landowner has meaningful options and competent legal representation.

1. Is the proposed contract a lease or an easement?  If a lease is involved, it should be long enough for the developer to recoup its investment (probably at least 20 years).  Does the developer have a right of renewal?  If so, does the landowner have the right to renegotiate any of the lease terms?  Any lease should not be perpetual — a violation of the rule against perpetuities might be involved (at least in those states that have retained the rule).

2. If an easement is involved, does the easement include turbine sites, substations, air space, buffer areas, vegetation restrictions, building restrictions, transmissions, and associated rights of way?

3. Is a sale of the land contemplated? If so, how is the selling price computed?  Any sale price should consist of the fair market value of the land plus the wind energy value.

4. What is the amount of compensation to be paid?  Take care to ensure that the definition of “gross revenue” is done properly. Is it defined as the sale of electrons or the sale of green credits, or is it calculated in some other manner?

5. Is the revenue to be a flat amount annually, an annual payment per tower, a percentage of gross proceeds, a payment of a certain amount of kilowatt hours generated annually, or an amount based on the selling price of megawatts per year, whichever amount is greater?

6. Is an inflationary factor built into the contract payment provisions? To protect the landowner’s interest, there should be.

7. Does the agreement cover land that will not be needed for the wind farm and related structures?  From the landowner’s perspective, there shouldn’t be such coverage.

8. An up-front lump-sum payment has tax consequences — make sure they are understood.

9. What are the intentions of the developer concerning the use of the land?  That makes understanding the use provisions of the agreement of primary importance.  The construction clause should limit the construction of wind energy structures to not more than 3 or 4 years with adequate compensation paid to the landowner for restricting the use of the land during that time.

10. Can the developer assign the agreement?  If so, a clause should be inserted that ensures the original developer’s liability if the assignee defaults under the terms of the agreement. (Note: Developers want the ability to assign the agreement and subordination language.)

11. Is the landowner willing to consent to a mortgagee of the developer?  If so, a clause should be included that limits the landowner’s obligations to the mortgagee.

12. Consider including an indemnification clause that indemnifies the landowner for any liability incurred as a result of permissive activities (such as crop tenants, custom harvesters, and subsurface tenants) on the property subject to the wind energy agreement.

13. What are the landowner’s rights concerning usage of the property?

14. Consider the use of a clause that requires the landowner to be treated as favorably as neighbors (consider how to define “neighbor”) executing similar agreements.

15. Include a clause requiring the removal of all improvements the developer makes upon termination (whether voluntary or otherwise) of the agreement.  Relatedly, for developments in the Flint Hills, include a provision specifying which party gets the rock that gets excavated to build the wind energy structures.

16. Require the agreement to be recorded (not just a memorandum of the agreement) to eliminate the necessity of having to locate a copy of the lease in the event of sale or mortgage of the property.

17. Never agree to confidentiality clauses concerning the terms and conditions of the agreement.

18. Have the contract reviewed by the landowner’s insurance agent for analysis of any additional risks created by the wind energy project.

19. Will the agreement violate any USDA land-use restrictions if the subject land is enrolled in a USDA program?  If such a possibility exists, consider including in the agreement a clause requiring the developer to indemnify the landowner for any lost government payments or the imposition of any penalties.

20. Evaluate the agreement with an eye toward the risk faced by the landowner.  That includes environmental concerns, issues that could be raised by neighbors (i.e., nuisance-related concerns), and potential violation of applicable zon¬ing and set-back requirements.

Clearly, wind farming has the potential to provide significant economic benefits for rural landowners. However, substantial peril exists that landowners who don't carefully evaluate proposed agreements with developers can be taken advantage of significantly. Landowners should have any proposed agreement evaluated by legal counsel and attempt to negotiate any unfavorable terms. Failure to do so could result in many years of dissatisfaction for landowners.

(READ THIS AT THE SOURCE BY CLICKING HERE)

Here is the most recent update of the noise log kept by the Wisconsin's Myer Family of Brownsville in Fond Du Lac County, where the turbines which surround their home have been on line since March.
(Download the entire diary by clicking here)

Gerry Meyer, who keeps the diary, was a mail carrier in his community for 30 years. He retired last month. He's been in his home for nearly 37 years.

In general the wind blows less in the months of July and August and the Meyer family had a few quiet days after months of non-stop noise.

The images below show turbine #4, a map of the turbine locations in the Brownsville/Byron area, and a detail map showing the turbines most frequently mentioned in this log.

Without an ordinance in place, wind developers in your township can site 40 story turbines 1000 feet from your door. It's important to contact your town board and ask them to work on adopting an ordinance. Wisconsin ordinances that have been adopted in the last 9 months can be found by clicking here on the Wind Ordinance List to your left.

(You can download the entire noise log from March 3 2008 to August 5th 2008 by clicking here)
   
July 10 –
     6:30 AM  Almost no breeze. Turbines tuning slow.
    11:40 AM - I can hear #’s 4 & 73 at my computer. We got home 30 minutes ago and I thought the turbines were fairly quiet. Now I hear both IN THE HOUSE.
1:15 AM It’s disgusting and very aggravating. I can hear turbines  4, 6, 73 and 74a inside the house and outside and it is like being at O’Hare airport listening to the jet sounds. Very loud.

July 11 –
    6:30 AM Turbine 4 not turning.
   7:10 AM Wind S quiet. Turbine # 4 turning, but slow with only a hum, but easily heard from 1560’ away.    10:15 AM  I can hear # 4 in our dining room.
    5:15 to 7:15 PM While changing oil in the cars I could hear #’s 4 and 73 the whole time.
    9:10 PM Wind SE. I can hear # 4. 10:05 PM Turbines 4 and 73 loud jet sound.
   12:10 AM I am hearing a vibration, thumping sound from turbines 4, 6 & 73 in all parts of our house.      Very, very sad and aggravating.

July 12 –
    7:55 AM --Wind W. Turbines 4 & 73 are loud. I hear other turbines, however conditions are
    such it is difficult to determine which ones they are. Maybe turbines further away? The air is
    heavy. I think the air is full of turbine sound and vibrations to make it difficult to know which is
emitting what sound. Most of the day we worked in the yard. No matter where we were the sky was filled with the jet sound of either turbines 4, 6 or 73 or all of them and at times 74 and 5a plus more. I feel they just keep wearing away on the mind and body.
    9:30 PM-- Turbines 4 and 73 giving off the loud jet sound.
    12:25 AM Turbine 4 is heard in our family room quite loud. (our family room is in the house) as well as # 73 in the computer room. Maybe the house is not vibrating, however it has that vibration type feeling.

July 13 –
     6:05 AM I can hear # 4 while in the kitchen with the door open.
     6:15 AM Turbine # 4 loud with the jet flying over sound. I also can hear # 73 with the same jet sound.
     4:50 PM I just returned home from a nice peaceful day at our cabin. There were no industrial     jet-flying-over sound of wind turbines there. As soon as we got home I could hear 3 of the noisy, jet sound turbines. Wind is from the West.
    8:55 PM The turbines are still making an annoying sound, but are quieter.
    10:30 PM Turbines 4 & 6 are making moderate noise together.
    1:00 AM I can hear turbine 4 in the kitchen with the door open.

July 14 –
    6:50 AM Turbine 4 is not turning as well as many others. Some of the 86 turbines are turning slow. All day the turbines are fairly quiet.
    10:45 PM Turbine 4 turning slow with hum. Turbine # 73 with a whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

July 15 –

    6:50 AM Wind S-SW. I can hear turbine 4 from the kitchen with the door open. I can hear
    turbine 73 from the computer room. Outside I can hear turbines 73 & 70. Turbine 70 is a mile
    away. From the south the sky is filled with turbine noise.
    1:30 PM Wind SW. Moderate noise from # 4.
     9:30 PM Wind SW. Turbines turning slow and fairly quiet.

July 16 –

    5:10 AM No wind. Turbine # 4 not turning.
    8:00 AM Turning slow and quiet-fairly quiet until
    3:00 PM when the wind changed from SW to NE. The turbines got so loud it was difficult to
    determine thunder from turbines.
    5:00 PM Wind N. Jet sound.
    11:05 PM Turbines turning slow and with quiet hum.

July 17
    5:50 AM Wind SW but still or calm yet there is the jet sound.
    7:35 AM Wind SW calm/still. There must be upper air movement. Turbine # 4 sounds like a jet flying over. I also hear # 73 which is 2480’ across the road from our house. For the past 1 ½ hours I have been collecting and burning tree branches. There is not a place on our property I cannot hear the wind turbines. I even hear them in the barn in our race car shop. It is terrible our town and county governments and the PSC have rubber stamped this project and have bought in to this hoax and only listen to the energy companies and apparently do not care about the people they each represent.

July 18 –
    5:40 AM Slight wind. Turbines are turning slow and quietly.
    5:00 PM Today there has been little breeze, therefore almost no turbine noise—a rare moment.
    11:40 PM Slow turning, little sound.

July 19 –
    6:50 AM No wind.
    8:05 AM No wind/calm. NO turbines turning- - no electricity is being produced.
    5:00 PM Turning slow and quiet. Much of the day many turbines not turning.
    11:10 PM Not much noise. 2:00 AM I woke up. My wife was up and couldn’t sleep. Turbine # 4 is (word missing) from the kitchen.

July 20 –
    6:50 AM The turbines are turning very slow and quiet. Some of the turbines are hidden in
    the fog,.
    9:00 AM No breeze. Turbine 4 is turning slow and quiet. Half of the turbines are not
    turning. Most of today all the turbines were stopped or turning slow. It has been a quiet week-
    end. If Al Gore got his way (no coal, gas, oil or nuclear power) it would be hot and dark in the
    house and my ice cream in the freezer would melt. 
    6:25 PM Turbine # 73 is going 11 revs. Per minute.
    6:40 PM Turbines # 73 I could hear being stopped. Wind is non existent.

July 21 –
    5:45 AM All turbines (86) are not turning. Thank goodness we have alternative energy like
    gas, coal, oil and nuclear.
    8:25 AM A few of the turbines are turning slow.
    4:00 PM Turbines stopped.
    4:20 PM Turbine # 4 turned for about 10 minutes.
    8:45 PM Some turbines turning slow.
    10:10 PM Most turbines are stopped.

July 22
    – 6:40 AM Very quiet. All day the turbines were not turning or were turning slow and quiet.
    10:10 PM Turning slow and quiet.

July23 –
     5:15 AM Turbines turning slow and quiet. Wind calm. 11 revs. per minute.
    2:00 PM Slow and quiet. About ½ of the 86 turbines are turning.
    11:30 PM Turbines are turned SW but no wind.

July24
    5:55 AM Wind SW. I can only hear hum, no wind.
    8:45 AM I can hear # 4 in the kitchen and dining room. Of course I have the door open. It is a       perfect day for “real” air with the temperature at 67 degrees.
    5:10 PM Turbines are humming away.
    10:25 PM Sound is getting louder. Wind SW and can hear turbines 4 & 73.

July 25 –
    6:45 AM Wind SW still # 4 fairly loud for no wind on the ground.  Also I hear # 73.
    2:50 PM Wind SW calm. Turbine # 4 humming.
    10:55 PM Turbine 4 low jet sound, calm on ground.

July 26 –
    6:10 AM Wind NW. Turbine 4 is like a jet flying over.
    7:25 PM Wind W slight. Jet sound from turbine # 4 @ 15 revs. per minute.
    10:30 PM I can hear turbines 4 and 6 much louder than during the daylight hour. Jet flying over sound.

July 27 –
     6:15 AM I got up and saw a note on the dining room table from my wife. She is telling me
    that she was awake during the night from 1:30 to 3:45 AM. This has been happening much
    of the past week. Could there be a vibration in the area that is affecting her but not me? This
    week a farmer (George G) told me that “”There is an electric field around the turbines”.
    While on a tractor if he drove close to a turbine the AM radio did not work. I took a portable
    AM radio out to a turbine, however it did work. Wind N with loud humming sound.
    2:40 PM  Turbine # 4 loud jet sound plus I can hear turbine # 6.

July 28 –
    6:10 AM Wind N Fairly quiet.

July 29 –
    12:40 AM No Wind. Turbine # 4 stopped.
    5:10 AM My wife just told me she did not sleep well again. Fairly quiet.
    5:00 PM The day has been fairly quiet while the wind is from the E.
    11:35 PM Wind E, however now the turbine sound is loud. I can hear the turbines from the
    Kitchen with the door open.
    2:10 PM Wind SW. It has been a quiet 4 days.Now the loud jet is back in full force at 20 rpms.
     9:20 PM Wind SW with loud jet sound with turbines # 4 & 73 tearing the sky apart. 
    10:35 PM Calm Wind SW 10.5 rpms.

July 30 –
    5:25 AM Wind NW I hear #’s 4 & 6 with jet flying over sound☹
    10:00 AM to 3:30 PM Wind W. I have been weeding my peppers most of the time period. I just came in the house as I feel nauseated and with a slight headache from hearing 3 turbines all day (4, 6 & 73.) Remember, I do not get headaches.
    7:00 PM 11 rpm quiet hum.

July 31 –
    7:00 AM No wind. All 86 turbines are still.
    10:00 AM+ It is good there is alternative energy production (coal, gas, oil and nuclear) because     without it our homes would be dark. There was a token attempt for about half of the 86 turbines to turn mid afternoon.
     10:30 PM Silent.

August 1
    7:00 AM Calm, almost no turbines moving.
    1:30 PM Less than half of the turbines are turning.
    9:40 PM Wind NW. Turbine 4 loud jet sound as we get out of the car from shopping.

August 2 –
    7:10 AM Turning slow and quiet.
    7:30 PM calm and very few turbines turning. 8:55 PM Wind SE light. Turbine 4 is slow and  quiet @ 11.5 rpms.
    11:55 PM Turbine 4 not turning.

August 3 –
    7:10 AM Not much activity.
    12:55 PM Wind SE low. Turbines slow and quiet.
    3:30 PM Wind E. I can hear 75b which is ¾ of a mile E and 73 which is 2480’ Southwest.

August 4.
    2:20 AM Wind S. Fairly strong. Turbine 73 and 4 sound like a Chinook helicopter or very
loud  jet sound. I hear turbine 73 in the front room like listening to your heard beat in a stethoscope thump, thump, thump. Turbine # 73 is 2480’ from the house.
    7:55 AM Surrounding turbines  are not turning although many of the 86 are turning.
    7:55 PM About ¾ of the turbines are not turning including turbines 4, 6 & 73. 9:35 PM Close by turbines are not turning.

August 5 –

    7:00 AM It is calm and foggy with no turbine sounds in the air. They must not be turning
           as my lights don’t work and my ice cream is soft☺
    11:50 AM Turbines turning with a slow hum.
    10:35 PM Wind NW. Loud jet sound between turbines 4 & 6 as to who is the loudest and
    strongest. I took a few videos but on my old point and shoot is not too good. I have a Db meter
    and registered a few peaks of 50 with more at 45. I could hear either turbine 4 or 6 in my family
    room or both turbines.

NOTE FROM THE BPRC RESEARCH NERD: Click on the video below to get an idea of the kind of noise the Meyer family lives with:

And here, a song written by a 16 year old after finding out turbines were coming to where she lived. The BPRC Research Nerd admits to wiping away a tear when listening to this young person sing about the very things we treasure. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT!

On August 4th, 2008 the Town of Ridgeville in Wisconsin's beautiful Monroe County has joined other townships in our great state in adopting an ordinance that provides a minimum safe set back of 2640 feet from homes, churches, schools, nursing homes and other inhabited structures. (click here to download the Ridgeville ordinance)

The other townships with the same safe setback are Clay Banks, Magnolia, Wilton and Woodville, with other soon to follow.

Hats off  to the Ridgeville Town Board for protecting the health and safety of their residents by adopting this ordinance!