By SARA FURLONG

s.furlong@bradfordera.com

While Swift Current Energy offers financial incentives to McKean County townships that might host its proposed windmills, residents say they’d gladly pay more to keep them out.

Joey Shannon, Swift representative, recently said the company is evaluating turbines from 500 to 650 feet tall that produce between 3 and 6 megawatts of power, and the project would comprise 60 to 100 turbines.

The company’s agreement with townships participating in its Clearfield County Mineral Basin solar project provides for the annual allocation of $500 per megawatt of capacity installed.

Shannon said Swift is “committed to a similar structure as part of the Black Cherry project,” which equates to roughly $125,000 for each township annually.”

Since that time, residents noticed that math doesn’t quite add up.

Using the highest numbers currently under consideration, $500 per MW installed over one hundred 6 MW turbines equates to $300,000 per year. Divided among the five townships the project would span — Hamlin, Keating, Norwich, Liberty and Sergeant — the total is less than half of Swift’s figure, at $60,000.

If, as Swift representatives indicated during Wednesday evening’s meeting in Liberty Township, the project would be contained to Norwich, Liberty and Keating, the incentive still comes in under Swift’s figure, at $100,000 each, annually. Shannon said, “Swift Current also has a unique approach for investing in the communities where our projects get sited by including an annual minimum guarantee. Most municipalities raise the … concern … around not knowing how many MWs will get installed. As a result, we’re committed to $125,000 per township each year as a minimum for this project once it is operational.”

During Norwich Township’s meeting Tuesday evening, resident Steve Simcox, one of the organizers of the Stop the Black Cherry Wind Project petition on change.org/blackcherry, said, “We’re just not even hardly benefiting at all.

Everyone else is benefi ting off of us, like the power grids when (the energy generated by the windmills) goes to another state — what are we getting?” Swift representative Dave D’Onofrio said, “I’m never going to convince you that there’s enough benefit. There is benefit to the townships, it goes to impact your millage rates, how much you’re paying. I can understand if you guys want to respectfully tell us it’s not enough, but there are benefits.”

Simcox said, “If you do the math of what the population is of the county, if everyone gave $5 extra each year, it’s more money.”

Shannon, who was also in attendance, said, “Well, the project won’t span the whole county, we’re trying to focus on the townships that are interested —” Simcox interjected, “So, another $100 per person? I’d gladly pay that for 40 years right now to not have them.”

“Me too,” resident Carolyn Mechanye agreed.

“All of us would,” resident Dustin Zetwick proclaimed.

The Liberty Township meeting held Wednesday at Port Allegany’s Veterans Memorial Inc. (VMI) had originally been scheduled for Thursday at the Port Allegany firehall.

The township posted on its Facebook page, “There were approximately 60 residents there and all of them were against the windmills and solar panels.”

Brian Bischoff, a Norwich Township resident and another organizer of the change.org petition who also attended Liberty’s meeting, said, “A supervisor said that to replace the money they could be getting (from Swift Current for allowing the windmills), they would need to raise taxes by more than 2%.

Everyone seemed to say it was a no-brainer to just raise the taxes.

“Nobody in the meeting wanted the turbines, nobody raised their hand at the end of the meeting when they asked who was for it.”

Last August, Liberty Township had followed Keating and Hamlin townships in its adoption of a restrictive ordinance that established protective setbacks. Since then, Swift Current had countered with a modified proposal for supervisors to consider. Liberty Township Secretary/Treasurer Cindy Speeth said the proposed changes had to be reviewed by attorneys.

“I am completely disgusted that Swift Current Energy would try to ‘bribe’ the township into changing their ordinance,” Simcox said.

Concerned Keating Township resident Dave Ball said, “They’re (Swift) trying to bribe them (the townships) — to bribe us. It’s sad.”

In response to The Era’s inquiry with Swift about residents who feel like the incentives are bribes, Shannon said, “Community benefit agreements (otherwise known as host community agreements) are tools infrastructure developers — including wind developers — use to give back to communities hosting project infrastructure. Once a project is operational, the money paid annually under these agreements can be used by the governing bodies to fund local infrastructure, schools and emergency services.”

Supervisors heard what residents and Swift representatives had to say during their meeting Wednesday and will vote whether to keep the township’s windmill ordinance already in place at 8:30 a.m. June 12 in the township building.