ADVANCE/James McClenathen © 2011 Copyright. No reproduction without permission
Reporter visits Ubly, Mich., wind farm
Residents tell of life with wind turbines
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Advance reporter James McClenathen visited the Ubly, Mich., wind energy development in Michigan’s Thumb area unannounced, knocking on doors for reactions to the presence of wind turbines. )
© Copyright 2011. No reproduction without permission
UBLY — Michigan Wind I, a 46-turbine wind farm, has been operating in the countryside around Ubly since 2008. The project was originally installed by Noble Environmental Power. The wind farm has since traded hands twice, having been bought by John Deere Renewables, which in turn sold to Exelon Wind in December 2010.
Bryce Hagen, a farmer in Bingham Township, has several wind turbines on his property.
“I’m happy with our decision,” said Hagen of the contract he and his wife, Bettie, signed with Noble.
He said although he was skeptical of the wind turbines at first, he is not bothered by them and never hears them when he is indoors, although his home is surrounded by them. Hagen, a landlord, also said he has heard no complaints from tenants who rent houses near the turbines.
“But some people are genuinely upset,” said Hagen. “And I’m not critical of them.
“The flicker annoys some people,” Hagen continued, referring to the strobe-like phenomenon that occurs when a turbine’s blades pass between the viewer and the sun. “We don’t get any of it in our house, but some people do. ... And if they say the noise bothers them, how do you argue with that?”
Amy Weber, who lives on a dairy farm in Bingham Township, said the wind turbines have brought tourism to the rural area.
Weber went on to say that many opponents of the wind farm are upset because they were not offered payments by Noble.
“If they could have had contracts, they would have,” said Weber. “I wish (Noble) would have built turbines on our land.”
Local farmer Kevin Grifka, however, turned down Noble’s offer to erect wind turbines on his 1,100 acres of land.
Yet Grifka said he now regrets his decision.
“I don’t have any problems with the wind turbines,” said Grifka. “We should have taken the deal.”
Retirees Richard and Ricki Holdship live within a quarter mile of a turbine that sits on their property. The two reported no problems with the wind farm.
“I don’t even notice it at all,” said Richard Holdship. “We don’t hear it inside, and we’ve never lost one second of sleep. ... It doesn’t bother our horses, and they live even closer to it than we do. We ride them right under the windmill, and they don’t even seem to notice it’s there.”
The Holdships receive more than $11,000 per year for the turbine on their property.
“I’ve got to say, the money eases whatever discomfort we might feel otherwise,” said Holdship. “My only regret is that I can’t have more turbines.”
However, Holdship acknowledged that not everyone in the area is happy with the wind farm.
“The setback is important,” said Holdship. “If your township wants a bigger setback than the standard, that needs to be respected.”
The wind farm has its share of detractors. Bingham Township resident Randy Weber, Amy Weber’s brother-in-law, says he and several others filed a lawsuit against John Deere Renewables last year. Weber said he could not provide further detail because of the litigation, except that the case is not expected to go to court for several months.
One local woman said she joined in on the class action suit because the nearby wind turbines keep her awake at night. She said although most people do not complain about the noise produced by the turbines, people with especially sensitive hearing find them almost unbearable.
For the complete story by James McClenathen, please see the Feb. 16, 2011, edition of The Advance. Please respect the copyright on this and all stories on this website and in The Advance newspaper itself.
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