Category Archives: West Lincoln NRWC Road Use Agreement

Cost Benefit, Destruction from turbines, Fighting the NRWC Wind Project, West Lincoln NRWC Road Use Agreement

West Lincoln accepts payout for damage to roads by Niagara Wind

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Enercon wind turbines of Niagara Wind project towering over trees in Lowbanks, Ontario

WEST LINCOLN — Residents on Elcho Road did not want to go another winter with their road this way.

What was once a paved roadway has been stripped back to gravel after heavy trucks and machinery pummelled the pavement in the building of the Niagara Region Wind Farm.

“It’s brutal living on the road right now,” said Paul Reece, who has lived there for over 20 years. “We need it fixed, ASAP.”

A number of residents came out to council on Monday night to urge those around the horseshoe to fix the road.

Jim Greenwood is a farmer, and he says the dust is so bad when he drives his tractor down the road that he has to stop when he’s around children, because he simply can’t see them.

“When it’s dry, the dust is so bad,” he said, adding what used to be an annual hosing down of his front porch is now almost a weekly occurrence.

“It’s just costing me more money, and it’s unsafe.”

Kathryn Swain says she can’t even hang her laundry on the line to dry because of the dust.

“We had an accident that took out our hay wagon,” she said, because a vehicle slid out on the rocks.

Council took these anecdotes to heart when they voted to reconsider the decision to pass the nearly $6-million roadwork plans that they delayed last meeting.

After a lengthy debate last meeting over whether to amend the motion to fix the roads damaged by the construction of the wind farm, council chose to defer the choice until October.

“The original staff report was a fine report,” said Coun. Dave Bylsma. It was Jason Trombetta’s amendment to move some of the funding to fix roads in his ward that caused tension in the chamber.

This time around, Trombetta brought forward a solution that all of the councillors were content with.

“We came together to try to work something out for all the communities affected by turbines,” said Trombetta.

His amendment takes funding from the town’s capital budget that was slated to fix the roads already being serviced by the wind farm payout, and covers work in Ward 1.

“You’re not going to do the road twice,” said Coun. Mike Rehner. “What we’ve basically got right now is a duplication.”

Council voted unanimously in favour of the motion and the amendment.

Road resurfacing, like on Elcho road, will be prioritized.

Article by Alexandra Heck

Published July 25, 2017: Niagara This Week

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Rural roads damaged with construction of Niagara Wind project
Cost Benefit, Destruction from turbines, Direct Effects, Fighting the NRWC Wind Project, West Lincoln NRWC Road Use Agreement

Niagara Wind project road damage in West Lincoln could exceed 6 million

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Enercon wind turbine construction for Niagara Wind project

Wind company to cover costs of road damages in West Lincoln

Council in conflict over which roads to fix, pass decision over until October

NEWS Jun 27, 2017 by Alexandra Heck  Grimsby Lincoln News
WEST LINCOLN — The deal has yet to close, but town council is already in a quandary over how to spend funds they expect to receive from the Niagara Region Wind Farm for damage it caused to municipal roads during construction.

While it remains unclear what the final sum is that they expect to receive, on Monday night West Lincoln councillors considered roadwork that could total nearly $6.1M.

The recommendation from staff was to spend $5,274,702 on a number of roads in the southeast corner of West Lincoln, nearest to the site of the wind farm.

The recommendation also asked for $150,000 from the wind energy road restoration fund for staffing assistance as well as $585,000 to repair the bridge on South Chippawa Road.

The plans would span nearly 70 kilometres of roadway, over 20 different roads in the municipality.

On June 19, council met for a special meeting in camera to pass a resolution authorizing the agreement with the wind company. The result was that a bylaw be approved to execute a release and settlement with NR Capital General Partnership, the company related to the Niagara Region Wind Farm.

“We will not be releasing the final number based on our solicitor’s recommendation,” said Mayor Doug Joyner. “The Township of West Lincoln is not done negotiations with the wind company.”

Coun. Jason Trombetta says the negotiations are between the town’s solicitor and the wind company. He says that prior to his departure, chief administrative officer Chris Carter was in negotiations with the company alongside the solicitor; no council members were involved in the dealings, he says.

Trombetta put forward an amendment to the motion during the regular council session on Monday, asking for the work on the South Chippawa Road bridge to be removed and in its place, work on roads in his own ward.

“There’s a lot of exterior roads that were damaged by this project,” said Trombetta. “Why are other wards forgotten in all of this?”……

“This is a lot to dump on our plate here at one council meeting,” said Bylsma. “The hair on the back of my neck is getting raised.”

Couns. Joann Chechalk and Dave Bylsma said the decision was far too big to make that evening.

“We’re talking millions of dollars and we’re just doing it willy-nilly, on the fly,” said Bylsma. He stated that council should respect the science and engineering of the staff report and stick to their recommendations.

READ FULL ARTICLE @ Niagara This Week 

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Niagara Wind caused extensive road damage during construction. West Lincoln, ON
Cost Benefit, Destruction from turbines, Environment, Fighting the NRWC Wind Project, Green Energy, harm to wildlife, West Lincoln NRWC Road Use Agreement

Power Should Have Stayed Local

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Hydro poles for high voltage transmission lines installed for Niagara Wind along rural roads

Dear Editor:
I wish to draw your attention to the statement  in Alexandra Heck’s article that the 77 turbine project, spanning properties in Lowbanks, Wainfleet, West Lincoln and Haldimand will power all the houses in Port Colborne, Wainfleet, Haldimand, Lincoln, West Lincoln and Grimsby.

The power from this project is being transported via that ugly transmission line to Grimsby Beach where it is carried to Hamilton and beyond.  We have been told that it is going to Oakville, where they have a need of the power because, as you will recall they lost their gas powered plants to the last election.

Seeing that all the wind power in Ontario, both up and running projects and those not yet on the grid,  will not  produce even  6% of all the power produced in Ontario,  it seems to me that shipping “all” this power to Oakville and beyond,  will not make much of a difference to the demand for power in the GTA.

Believe me,  the residents living along the transmission line wish that the power would have stayed in our communities since that would mean that there would be no huge  transmission lines,  no guard rails, no Road Use Agreement,  and ​at least 7,000 more trees along our road allowances.

Nellie DeHaan
Smithville ON

(Published in Niagara This Week on June 27th, 2017)

Cut trees anger property owners

Niagara Wind tree cut
Andy Koopal looks over the stump where an old growth oak tree once stood, beside his property in Wainfleet. Well over 7 000 trees many old growth, were cut in rural west Niagara for transmission lines to serve wind turbines.  PHOTO: Allan Benner/Welland Tribune/Postmedia Network
Fighting the NRWC Wind Project, West Lincoln NRWC Road Use Agreement

Guardrails for Niagara Wind- What the hay?

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Are Niagara Wind’s guardrails being installed for safety of people or just for the protection of wind facility infrastructure?

The intrusive and extensive kilometers of guardrails for Niagara Wind now found along West Lincoln’s and Regional roads were a subject of discussion on September 19, 2016.  Blocked access to heritage cemeteries, narrowed driveway entrances,  visual clutter for home frontages, maintenance issues, and snow removal were among the issues discussed.  The random pattern of installations are  generating a lot of blow back from the residents who have been calling into West Lincoln County for answers.  (Start at the 13 minute mark of the video).

Have Questions about Niagara Wind’s Guardrails?

Contact West Lincoln public works with inquiries and anticipate the opportunity to be “educated” – Expected timeline for a response to be within 24 hours.

Council members (20 minute mark of video) discuss the realities for large modern day farm equipment travelling the roads and increased barriers faced by guardrails narrowing the road width.  The suggestion is brought forth that perhaps the Engineers signing off on the plans attend Council and they be reminded to take into account the traffic found in an active agricultural community.

Niagara Wind is certainly a moving target.

Lack of municipal power in planning, Property Rights, Turbines & Property Devalue, West Lincoln NRWC Road Use Agreement

Random Niagara Wind- A Lousy Neighbour

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What are they thinking?  Look at the following pictures of the guardrails being installed in West Lincoln for the Niagara Wind project to protect their hydro poles.  They are taken as if viewed while driving north from Smithville and show the random and lack of a consistent pattern in guardrail installation at various locations:

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Some guardrails are many feet past the hydro poles and some are

even shorter…

 

 

Coming into the bend…

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In the middle of the bend…3

 

 

 

 

 

In front of the neighbour’s house…4

Coming out of the turn! Come winter this could be a real danger! People coming out of the turn could slam right into this mess…5

 

 

 

 

This picture is heading south …6

Final photo of today’s drive- The section of guardrail doesn’t even cover the  hydro pole!

(but it sure does”enhance” the value of the neighbour’s frontage)

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Wind projects make lousy neighbours.

West Lincoln NRWC Road Use Agreement

RESIDENTS ASKED TO ATTEND SEPT 22, WEST LINCOLN TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

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The following article is why it is IMPERATIVE that West Lincoln comes up with a Road Use Agreement with the NRWC , in the event of its approval. One that will ensure that rural residents will be compensated for damages to their properties during the transport of the industrial components down our rural roads, and one that ensures the costs of repairing the roads to it’s pre- construction state does not fall to the municipality / taxpayers.  

These issues and more will be brought up at the West Lincoln Town Council Meeting SEPT 22  and residents are asked to attend and to provide input towards the drafting of the Road Use Agreement.

Surprise! NextEra skips on Adelaide-Metcalfe road damages from wind turbine construction

Township of Adelaide Metcalfe Administrator/Clerk’s Report September 15, 2014

Re: NextEra Kerwood Wind Inc. Damages Update

nexterror-under-destructionOn August 12, 2014, staff met with Mr. Jeff Damen, NextEra’s construction manager. The discussion revolved on the issue that NextEra had received the estimate for the damages done to the Township’s roads due to construction of the turbines. Damen indicated that he had spoken with his supervisors and related to us that they had no problems and would pay this amount to the Municipality and that they preferred that Township look after completing the necessary repairs.

We then contacted our solicitor, Mr. Barry Card, and he forward an e-mail to NextEra’s solicitor, Mr. Andy Gibbons, requesting confirmation that NextEra would send Township the funds and that the Township would proceed to carry out necessary road repairs on their behalf.

On August 20, 2014, Andy Gibbons informed Barry Card that the Township would receive something from NextEra very shortly.

On September 4, 2014, Barry Card sent an e-mail to Andy Gibbons to follow up on the matter. The reply from Mr. Gibbons said “I followed up accordingly” but with no explanation.

Road Supervisor, Eldon Bryant, has made many attempts to reach Mr. Damen phone, but has received no reply.

On September 9, 2014, Mr. Bryant sent an e-mail to Mr. Damen requesting an update on this matter, but again there has been no reply. This brings us to the issue that this repair work needs to be done. It is the Road Supervisor’s responsibility, under his job description as well as the legislation, to keep the Township’s roads safe. The issue with the cost to do these repairs is that this was not approved in the 2014 budget and that Council needs to determine where the funds for these repairs will come from. As of the day that this report is being written, the other issue now is that, should Council be in “Lame Duck” situation, the matter may have to be deferred until possibly after the Municipal Election. This report is to update Council on the issue.

via: Ontario Wind Resistance, Sept 15 14