Aquinnah officials say the town stands to gain hundreds of thousands of dollars from offshore wind energy developers that are required to mitigate the effects of offshore wind farms on Aquinnah Circle and Gay Head Light.
Offshore wind development off the Vineyard coast could prove to be a windfall for the town of Aquinnah.
Town officials said Tuesday that the town stands to gain hundreds of thousands of dollars from offshore wind energy developers that are required to mitigate the effects of offshore wind farms on Aquinnah Circle and Gay Head Light.
As developers seek to build hundreds of turbines in an 800,000-acre area starting about 12 miles south of the Island, they need to offset any of the negative impacts from the projects on designated historic sites under the National Historic Preservation Act. The town is currently negotiating funds for the cliffs and the lighthouse, two historic sites that stand to have turbines enter into their scenic views.
The Aquinnah select board voted this week to name the lighthouse park after Len Butler, pictured here. Mr. Butler died earlier this month.
The Aquinnah select board voted this week to name the lighthouse park after Len Butler, pictured here. Mr. Butler died earlier this month.
So far, Vineyard Wind, a 62-turbine wind farm south of the Vineyard currently under construction, has already paid about $140,000 to help with corrosion on the lantern curtain wall of Gay Head Light. Investigation into corrosion has already started, Bill Lake, the chair of the Aquinnah energy committee, said at Tuesday’s select board meeting.
“We all know how much we enjoy the view from the cliffs, the view from the lighthouse,” Mr. Lake said. “We take seriously negotiating with these wind farms to make sure that we can get as much mitigation done as we can.”
South Fork Wind, another developer, has also agreed to pay $175,000 for repairs to the lighthouse, as well as $40,000 to help with Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant access for the Aquinnah shops, according to federal documents.
Negotiations over historic preservation act funds are still ongoing with several other wind developers. Revolution Wind, a planned 700-megawatt farm that if built would be the closest to the Vineyard, has been going back and forth with the town and could have the potential for some of the largest mitigation fees.
“From the cliffs, you’re able to actually see the spans of the Newport bridge and this is substantially closer than that,” said Tom Murphy, the chair of the Aquinnah select board.
Mr. Lake said the town has been pushing for $840,000 from Revolution Wind to replace the lantern room at Gay Head Light. The company also offered about $500,000 to improve handicap access at the shops, and potentially $50,000 to winterize the Vanderhoop Homestead.
The town is asking Sunrise Wind to help pay for a support to the lantern deck and about $30,000 a year for 25 years for maintenance of the Aquinnah shops. The town is asking for a maintenance fund for the lighthouse from New England Wind and plans to request Beacon Wind supply about $40,000 for new fencing at the lighthouse park.
The conversation around funds for the lighthouse did strike a somber tone, though, as officials remembered the late Len Butler.
Mr. Butler was instrumental in moving the lighthouse safely back to its current perch on the cliffs. He had started the negotiations for the lighthouse with the wind companies and had been involved until recently. He died earlier this month.
The select board voted Tuesday to rename the lighthouse park as the Len Butler Memorial Park, and vowed to come up with a new process for dedicating town landmarks after some concerns were raised by member Juli Vanderhoop.
“He has worked endlessly on this, to care for it for years,” Mr. Murphy said. “I think it’s time for this community to give back to somebody who's dedicated their life to that lighthouse.”
Comments
Kudos to giving the
Adam Wilson Leesburg, FloridaKudos to giving the recognition Len deserves for the dedication he gave to saving the Gay Head Lighthouse. We were told by the management who moved the structure that once moved, the price tag towards a total restoration for this working aide to navigation would be in the neighborhood of $1 million. It is great to see these revenue streams coming forward from offshore wind to fully preserve the Gay Head Light for generations to come.
money, the universal
mj vineyard havenmoney, the universal lubricant!!!
How about instead of trying
Jason Thompson TisburyHow about instead of trying to pry a few hundred thousand dollars from these companies we actually get together as a community and try to stop them from building these in the first place? The wind farms are not just industrializing our vistas, they are forever altering a precious marine ecosystem.
If the view is your main
Robert Skydell Essaouira, MoroccoIf the view is your main concern, you'll be relieved that at 15 miles offshore, in a mist laden air of the marine environment (it's called aerial perspective) the view of the turbines is minimal at best.
But more importantly, the oceans are steadily warming with serious effect on the ecosystem and have for many years been seriously diminished by acid rain from burning coal both near (Brayton Pt.) and the far (midwestern states). These coal burning plants have been depositing dangerous levels of cadmium, arsenic and mercury in the "precious marine ecosystem" you reference which builds up in the tissues of the fish we eat. Something you might consider.
Implying that those against
Jason Thompson TisburyImplying that those against offshore wind are against clean energy is not fair nor helpful for finding real solutions. I am all for clean energy, we need it desperately. Industrializing the ocean is not the solution. We could put solar panels on every roof in New England for the cost of one of these wind farms. As humans, our habitat is land and not the ocean, so how is it fair that we are placing the burden of our power needs on the ocean and its inhabitants? Of course this ecosystem has been dealing with our mess for centuries, but why should we be ok with adding to this impact with large scale industry? Robert, if you haven’t been offshore to see these installation in person I don’t think you can really grasp the magnitude of development out there and how it will forever alter this habitat.
I do not think any amount of
Susan Lemoie-Zarba TisburyI do not think any amount of money that the Off Shore Wind developers give to the Towns can replace the loss of the views off the Gay Head Cliffs, the industrialization of our Island with helicopters, loss of view our Town Tisbury for the marine terminal, newly erected boarding houses,EduComp building being transformed into 22 bedrooms 14 apartments with a roof top spa, a giant 14,000 SF Operational & Maintenance facility on stilts, the noise and light pollution the comes along with the marine, air and street traffic and most of all the loss of marine life in our oceans. This is a GIANT Ponzi scheme. BOEM the division of the government overseeing OSW development states very clearly in the documents that OSW will never move the needle on climate change. VOTE NO on Off Shore Wind!
I second the motion of a Len
rob the roofer new jerseyI second the motion of a Len Butler Memorial Park. From my perch in N.J.
The Town is selling out to
Metacom AquinnahThe Town is selling out to the industrialists. Selling out our fisherman, Coast Guard, ocean mammals and collective heritage for a pittance. Stop the industrialization of our ocean before it's too late.
A spoonful of sugar helps the
Bob Oak BluffsA spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
The windmills will absolutely
Doubting ThomasThe windmills will absolutely be visible from Aquinnah. Theses are 12 miles out to sea, NOT 15 miles . That makes a difference. YOU WILL SEE THEM. You will CLEARLY SEE THEM. This will ruin one of Aquinnahs most beautiful resources forever! The View! What happens when the price of oil and natural gas cycles lower in price again, as it always does? These wind farms will no longer be economically viable and the taxpayers and/or utility bill payers will have to pay much higher rates. Some of the existing foreign owned power company lease holders are already dropping out of their lease contracts because it is no longer financially viable for them to move forward. Does the general public realize most of the power generated will go to Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York? Aquinnah and Martha’s Vineyard is getting paid off by these companies for a few hundred thousand dollars. It is criminal what these foreign energy companies are doing. Aquinnah and Marth’s Vineyard are getting paid off with a few hundred thousand dollars. How short sighted (literally) and small minded can they be? Getting all the negative affects of the wind-farms and receiving none of the power generated and receiving a ridiculously small payoff. What a joke, What a travesty.
If humans continues to burn
Peter Pfluger Oak BluffsIf humans continues to burn fossil fuels and discourage the change to relatively harmless, alternative energies, all of the living things one our earth will certainly suffocate and die in the near future (with the exception of possibly the mighty cockroach). We all have to keep our eyes on the big picture and on the long run and choose wisely and with the entire planet in mind.
Offshore windfarms have operated successfully for over 30 years and the technology is getting better all the time. Why would any rational person discourage this method for clean energy when it has been PROVEN to be successful and NOT HARMFUL to the environment for so long?
Like Bob Dylan sings in his song, "Subterranean Homesick Blues,"
"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows..."
Although, some people do, and they call him Fox News, which is not even a real news source, but a self-proclaimed distributor of misinformation that was recently demonstrated in their confession of pushing lies to promote the false idea that the election was stolen. They also push the lie that global warming isn't due to human population even though 97 percent of climate scientist say otherwise. Who you gonna believe?
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