Dan's Papers - May 9, 2008 - East Hampton Blows Off Great Idea for Wind Power

East Hampton resident Greg Zwirko has been waiting three years for approval on construction of a small wind turbine at his Napeague house.

Unfortunately for Zwirko, the town board felt this undertaking had to be first reviewed under specific guidelines, assuming that fellow residents would be inspired to follow suit with similar projects. The change necessary to the town code was finally drafted in June of 2007, but has remained stalled ever since, for reasons yet to be made public.

A well-known East Hampton architect, Zwirko - as a member of the American Institute of Architects Peconic Chapter - issued a statement in 2006 endorsing wind-generated power, as well as other environmentally-conscious energy sources: "It is urgent that we begin to take, at the very least, a giant green step forward." However, the town requires a special permit for such construction, which would only be awarded after deciding if the system would pose a safety hazard, if it could damage the environment; and negatively affect radio and television reception or "character of the community."

According to statistics offered by the American Wind Energy Association, rotor technology has been improved in recent years, and the noise created by their motion has significantly diminished, thereby easily masked by other nearby ambient sounds. There's the visual impact of the shadows created by the blades in motion, known as "shadow flicker," but that is now easily avoidable by calculating where the turbine's shade would fall at any time of the day, then positioning the device accordingly so it wouldn't darken the property of neighbors. The fear of injury to local flying creatures is also easily remedied by keeping the machine out of migratory paths.

As for the interference with cell phone, TV and radio signals, the issue seems to be of no impact as industry information reports of only minor disruption ever created, and that is only to analog signals. (The quantitative reception in this area for broadcast purposes almost completely relies on digital signals.) Furthermore, the turbines are constructed from nonmetallic substances and the size of the blades Zwirko is looking to use are too small to create any electromagnetic disturbances.

The board's fears that Zwirko's project would impugn the character of the community are also highly unlikely. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Amagansett Historical Association, as well as the Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee, which works to protect local visual integrity. He has also worked directly to restore historical structures in town as they were; once the original make-up of the Jacob Schellinger House was revealed during its 2004 renovation, his company (Zwirko & Ortmann Architects of East Hampton) adjusted plans to insure a proper restoration.

In the meanwhile, Zwirko has already installed a solar cell system at his house, and has told the press he will experiment with a rooftop garden and install a rain-collection system. His dedication to a green lifestyle seems quite thorough as he awaits the decision concerning the changes in town code regulations, set to be taken up by the board again in May. He continues to express a public desire that homeowners in the area take up a pursuit of energy sources that don't harm the environment, and according to East Hampton Town Councilwoman Julia Prince there have been two inquires as of late concerning wind-harnessing mill systems from town residents, a strong sign that his case is gaining attention.

It is interesting to note that in 2003, the American Wind Energy Association, in conjunction with the Peconic Land Trust, had proposed erecting a wind turbine at the Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett. However, the proposal was withdrawn after receiving opposition from the Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee, the same panel of which Zwirko is a member. A LIPA proposal in 2000 to erect three 50-kilowatt, 100-foot windmills at Camp Hero in Montauk was similarly rejected.