Next week, Planning Board members will be meeting in special session to renew the city's stalled effort to craft a comprehensive wind turbine ordinance. The meeting is scheduled to be held in the conference room just across from the Council Chamber. We hope that it's packed.
Crafting a reasonable, responsible ordinance to guide the city as new advancements are made in wind energy technology should be of utmost interest to all Newporters.
Efforts to develop residential wind turbine applications have been somewhat mixed, however we should be prepared to take full advantage if, or when, the technology advances sufficiently to allow for us to make full use of one of our most celebrated natural resources: the prevailing breeze.
Like the State Historic Preservation Office, which recently expressed concern over the size and scope of the Navy's plan to erect a series of large-scale turbines that would interrupt the Newport's historic cityscape, we also have deep reservations over the impact that commercial turbines would have on our historic city.
But that doesn't mean there is no place for wind energy in our future.
While other surrounding communities, including Portsmouth, Middletown, and Jamestown have been out front in their efforts to develop or otherwise encourage wind turbines of various sizes, Newport thus far has chosen to take a wait-and-see approach. That may have been wise, given the implications turbines could have on the city's world-renowned stock of historic homes, but it is not a clear plan for the years to come.
Indeed, encouraging the use of alternative energy sources should be integral to future development, and where appropriate, encouraged when renovating existing homes.
The city's Energy and Environment Commission has already spent considerable time and effort exploring ways Newport can "go green."
Their knowledge will certainly be welcomed by the Planning Board as they move from concept to final product before handing their recommendations over to the City Council for approval.
Planning Board members are scheduled to meet on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. All are heartily encouraged to attend.
City Hall Can You Hear Me?
Beginning last January, we followed closely the City Council as they worked to craft a strategic plan that would serve to guide this, and future councils, to achieve certain stated goals.
As the only local news outlet to cover each of the council's strategy sessions, we saw firsthand the process unfold by which the city's goals were developed and affirmed.
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