The way has been cleared for wind farm development at Rudyard, after all recommendations about windmills suggested by the local planning commission were adopted by the Rudyard Township board Tuesday, May 18.

After the community had weighed proposed changes to Rudyard Township's windmill ordinance at meetings of both the Rudyard Township board and the township planning commission in recent months, no debate took place at the latest meetings May 18 and May 25. Taking advantage of the public comment period was David Stoner, the senior vice president of business development with Element Power.

Element Power and Half-Moon Power will work in concert to bring wind farms to the Rudyard area in a proposed project that would see 20 to 40 turbines erected, producing 40 to 80 megawatts of power each. About 80 land parcels, each 80 to 100 acres, are being eyed for turbine development. The wind developer is considering properties southeast of town on both sides of I-75 between 18-Mile Road and 24-mile Road and has thousands of acres under contract already.

The approval of what the planning commission proposed sets the tone, said Element Power and Half- Moon Power officials.

“We feel like the board made good progress,” Mr. Stoner said. “They largely approved the amendments that the planning commission brought before them. This gives folks like us clear rules and responsibilities to abide by.”

Among them is a plan to include a buffer zone around the center of town to allow for expansion of Rudyard itself. This buffer zone would preclude some agricultural properties from using their land for windmills, but board member Bruce Berkompas said it is a necessary inclusion to the ordinance, or else the township would find itself backed against the wall by the setback rule when it needed to expand.

Setback requirements are 1,320 feet from non-participating properties, while there are no setbacks for participating properties. Also in the ordinance are noise restrictions that says the machines cannot exceed 55 decibels at a non-participating property line.

The board also noted that specific complaints raised by people opposed to the windmills were beyond the realm of their expertise and would be closely monitored by the appropriate agencies. To receive permits, which will be the next lengthy process undertaken by the wind power companies, there will be extensive review by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, along with other agencies. The agencies will consider environmental impact and government regulations for wind technology.

As for monitoring contract language or enforcing taking the windmills down, the board members said they don't want to impose any restrictions upon a large wind energy conversion system that would not apply to other industries.

“As long as you are paying taxes on a structure that is on your property and it doesn't pose a threat to the public right-of-way, we, as a board, have no right to ask a property owner to take it down,” Mr. Berkompas said.

How to handle complaint resolution for the turbines continued to baffle the board, as this issue was tabled again, with the board agreeing to work through it at the next meeting. The board is trying to find a balance between addressing legitimate complaints while preventing frivolous charges aimed primarily at delaying or shutting down the systems.

The May 25 Rudyard Planning Commission meeting saw no public attendance, after previous meetings saw audiences of as many as 50 concerned citizens. With changes to the windmill ordinance sent on and approved by the township board, the planning commission was able to look over its master plan, a task that has been on its agenda for months.

Also discussed in the master plan review was how to improve use of the township's recycling trailer. Currently, the trailer fills fast and there are residents who use the facility as a means for dumping trash. The planning commission revised a section of the master plan to read that there should be signs reflecting hours of operation, who to call for service, and proper use of the trailer.

Some townships across Michigan are updating their master plans with the assistance of consultants, but the Rudyard Planning Commission opted to sift through theirs entirely on their own.