Digeser seeks approval
Vertical windmill is for the birds

NEW SCOTLAND – Vertical axis wind turbines are "recommended by birds," Henry Digeser told the zoning board of appeals. He is hoping to erect one of the bird-friendly devices on his Copeland Hill Road property.
The design for the uni-directional, vertical windmill "has been around for a while," Digeser told The Enterprise, but, "it’s a new system on the market."

Digeser is hoping to be granted a temporary-use permit to construct the turbine, which will be 40 feet tall, about 10 feet in diameter, weigh 400 pounds, and sit on a cement base about 500 feet away from his house.

The turbine itself sits on a pole and has three blades situated vertically that rotate in a circle. The blades themselves are about nine feet long.

Digeser’s turbine is significantly smaller than the 140-foot standard propeller-style windmill he originally proposed a few months ago.

The smaller windmill has fewer moving parts and is more efficient at producing power at lower wind speeds than the larger models. Digeser’s property gets an average wind speed of 15 miles per hour, but the turbine only needs about four miles per hour to generate power, he said.

Digeser, and his wife, Nancy, have lived in New Scotland for two years. Their 100-acre property falls in a residential-forestry (RF) district, where windmills are not allowed as a permitted or a special use. The temporary-use permit would allow the windmill for one year, which could then be extended another year.
Digeser is expecting that, by the time his permit expires, the town will have adjusted its zoning laws to allow his windmill to become a permanent fixture. "I think the town is excited about it," he said.

Thus far, Digeser has presented his plan to both the zoning and planning boards, with positive reactions from both, and a public hearing will be held on the application at the zoning board’s March 27 meeting.

"Right way to go"
"With the ongoing oil crisis, we were looking for a way for renewable energy," Digeser said of his and his wife’s motivation for applying for the permit.
Digeser is a project engineer at Gould Erectors in Glenmont, a construction company that has a dealership with a windmill company, Digeser explained. Gould Erectors purchases and installs windmills. "We just started it," he said.
The company plans on displaying one of the vertical axis wind turbines in the shop as "a demo-model," Digeser said.
The basic unit costs about $25,000, Digeser said; a foundation and tower are also needed. The cost "will vary from job site to job site," he said.
Installing a windmill, Digeser said, "is not economical" without the federal and state tax incentives, and the financial assistance provided by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

NYSERDA will pay for 40 percent of the cost for residential windmills, up to 60 percent for agricultural use, and 80 percent of the cost for educational use, Digeser told The Enterprise.
"Without the incentives, it’s a long-term return on your investment," Digeser said. "Payback is 20 or 30 years."

With the incentives, the payback can be three or four years, depending on power use, he said.

The power produced by the wind turbine will be fed into the Niagara Mohawk power grid, Digeser said. Any power that is produced, which he does not use, he will be credited for from the power company, he said.
The whole process is "a learning experience," Digeser said, adding, "I’m curious to see how things will work out.
"I think the more we’re independent from oil, the better off we’ll be," Digeser said. Wind energy "is the right way to go," he concluded.

Other business

In other business, at recent zoning and planning board meetings:

– The zoning board adjourned a public hearing on an application for a use variance submitted by Sherman Coonradt to allow for a proposed subdivison of two pre-existing, non-conforming lots owned by Catherine and Walter Vivenzio on Fielding Way, to create a new residential lot. The new lot, however, would lack the required road frontage. Zoning law requires that lots have a minimum of 15 feet of road frontage, providing access to a public road in order to be granted a building permit. The public hearing will be held on March 27;

– The zoning board granted an area variance to the First Assembly of God Church to erect a five by three-and-a-half foot sign in front of its establishment on Mariana Lane. The zoning board also granted a use variance allowing the church to illuminate the sign, with the stipulations that the sign must be lit from the ground with wattage of 150 or less, and the lights must be shut off by 10 p.m.;

– The zoning board granted an area variance and a use variance to Karen Spinelli for a three-lot subdivision proposed for her property located on Krum Kill Road. One of the lots would contain a pre-existing barn, which is not allowed.

The property lies within the residential conservation (R2) and medium-density residential (MDR) districts, where a secondary structure – which the barn is considered to be – is not permitted without a primary structure.

The use variance will allow her to restore the barn and transform it into a residential dwelling. The board added the stipulation that the barn must be converted within 24 months. The area variance granted her 16 feet of relief to the lot width of one of the parcels;

– The zoning board granted an area variance to Peter Schaming for the subdivision of a 90-acre landlocked parcel owned by Katherine Barber. The subdivision would create a 35-acre and a 55-acre parcel. Schaming intends to purchase the 35-acre parcel that is adjacent to his 5.6-acre property. The variance granted relief to the 50 feet of road frontage required on newly-created lots;

– The zoning board granted an area variance to Stephen and Rada Jones, allowing them to subdivide their property on Indian Fields Road into four lots. The residential zone the property is in requires a 70-foot front setback on a state road. A 237-year-old house sits 66 feet from the road, and a 25-year-old accessory structure sits 50 feet form the road. The variance granted four feet of relief for the dwelling, and 20 feet of relief for the accessory structure;

– The planning board approved a special-use permit, submitted by Frank DelGallo and James Bradshaw, allowing them to construct a pond on their property at the end of Ryder Lane. The pond will be rectangular in shape, about 70 feet long, by 30 feet wide, and six feet deep, if possible. The pond will provide water for fire protection. The board added the stipulations that construction should be done during the summer months, an aquatic bench must be installed if the pond is deeper than four feet, and the soil should be stabilized; and

– The planning board moved an area variance submitted by Bernard Rathke to the zoning board with a favorable recommendation. The variance would allow 17.7 feet of relief to the side setback of 25 feet, allowing a garage to be constructed coming within 7.3 feet of the side-yard property line. A public hearing will be held at the zoning board’s March 27 meeting.