The Board of Supervisors met on 7 December 2004 and set Wed 26 January 2005 at 7:30 p.m. in the courthouse in Monterey as the date and place for a public hearing on Highland New Wind Development’s application for a conditional use permit. Prior to setting the hearing date, Chairman Robin Sullenberger made a statement quashing rumors that there are undisclosed proffers from the developers or back-room deals in the works. He stated categorically that no such deals have been made or even offered. Later Jerry Rexrode stated that Mr. McBride had spoken about the possibility of payments in lieu of taxes but that no specific offer had been made and that there were no deals on or under the table. Near the close of the meeting I thanked Robin for his forthright statement and we agreed that everything is and should remain on the table. Mrs. McBride thanked me for that statement but immediately thereafter Mr. McBride took me to task for my photosimulation of eight turbines on Red Oak Knob, implying that his plan is for fewer than eight. I pointed out that he has not yet come out with a site plan showing exactly how many turbines are planned or where they would be sited so this was just a guess. I have revised the caption for that photo [Photo Gallery 3] to make it clear that it is a simulation and that the number and siting of turbines is speculative. Mr. McBride could quash the rumors and speculation by releasing a specific site plan for his project and by identifying the other sites that he holds options on where additional turbines might be erected.
John R. Sweet, Mustoe, VA