Letters: Falmouth Enterprise 

Correct Omission

“Relocating Turbines Off the Table” reported correctly what was said in the Tuesday Wind Turbine Options Process group meeting about what is on and off the table, although there was an additional process provided so that members could write facilitator Stacie Smith about content for her presentation to Town Meeting. The coverage even captured the ambiguity about whether moving the turbines is really
off the table.

What was missed in the meeting discussion, however, is that operating the turbines 24/7 has never been taken off the table. It has not been actively discussed because Ms. Smith has focused the group on curtailment and mitigation strategies. This omission is an outcome of a consistent pro-complaint bias in the WTOP proceedings. It is important that Town Meeting members recognize that 24/7 is still active lest the omission lead to biases in the treatment of warrants in the coming Town Meeting.

John Carlton-Foss
Church Street
Woods Hole

Time To Act

Town Meeting will, no doubt, be consumed by windmill discussion yet again. The community should be asking itself “has this needed to go on so long? Can we afford to procrastinate any further?”

The elixir, the long-sought wind turbine solution, has been revealed. The fix hasn’t been inspired by a community conviction to help thy neighbor, but rather, comes from the cold calculated financials.

Instead of Falmouth’s Twin Towers of Power, Wind Turbine Options Process (WTOP) consultants say the wind energy public works project, including limited mitigation factors for thy neighbor, has made them Falmouth’s Twin White Elephants.

The clear message to Town Meeting: The Massachusetts DEP-recommended nighttime curtailment scenarios will result in power shortfalls. These shortfalls translate into a municipal budget deficit. Can we afford to procrastinate any further?

The turbines have got to go, and Town Meeting should turn its efforts to finding the best way to accomplish this. It’s time we stop feeding the White Elephants.

Mark J. Cool
Firetower Road
West Falmouth

Where Were Officials?

I wasn’t surprised to see no selectmen or board of health members at the Falmouth Human Rights Conference at the Main Street library on Saturday, but I was disappointed that only one WTOP committee member was in attendance.

Experts in several wind turbine impact fields from around the world spoke to a good-sized audience. I guess our town deciders wish to avoid having their cognitive dissonance subjected to any outside influence. I really wonder where they get their information to make informed decisions. Of the many conferences and seminars I have attended to learn more about our wind turbine problem, I have never seen even one of our public officials.

And just to remind Town Meeting members after the erroneous information in the November 9 Enterprise, Article 42 will not interfere with the WTOP committee in any way. It is simply asking that the town’s two wind turbines be shut down 24/7 until a final solution is decided on the wind turbine problem. The health of a good number of citizens is counting on Town Meeting to pass this.

Barry A. Funfar
Ridgeview Drive
Falmouth