Letter: One Resident's Walmart Wind Turbine Reservations

On Monday, Nov. 7, Omni Wind Systems will come before the Lacey Board of Adjustment continuing to seek variances for a 10 turbine wind farm on the Lacey Wal-Mart parking lot, Haines St and Route 9. This property abuts Jacqueline Court. Across the street, is the Spring Oak Assisted Living Center.

Turbines WILL make noise. Omni says they are silent but have no studies to prove otherwise. They also do not have 10 of the proposed turbines working in tandem anywhere for anyone to observe. Why should Lacey be the guinea pigs for such a project? If they are allowed to go up and cause problems like vibro acoustic disease after the fact, it would be extremely difficult if not impossible to have them removed.

Turbines can interrupt other signals. What about the Lanoka Harbor fire station’s siren?

Many citizens live across the street with hearing aids. Suppose these turbines create incessant background noise? Not only will there be a noise issue, but these turbines will be visible to all residents both in front of the Wal-Mart at Spring Oak and in the back along Jacqueline Court. Property values have declined enough at Jacqueline Court from the Walmart itself. Add a wind farm and that will make the homes beyond difficult to sell.

All this disturbance to produce less than 1 percent of Walmart’s power needs? My guess this is nothing but a PR scheme by Walmart to look green and entice people to shop there. These turbine poles will weigh over 1500 pounds- almost a ton. And they have to be reinforced several feet underground. It does not sound cost effective at all!

Come out Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. and just say NO to the wind turbines unless they can rev them up fast enough to blow Walmart off the planet.

Regina Discenza

Forked River