Skyway 124, Inc. now plans to erect just three wind turbines in the area east of County Road 124, north of Nottawasaga 6/7 sideroad and west of Nottawasaga Concession 10, according to a revised draft site plan released last Friday.
That’s in contrast to the company’s Notice to Engage in a Wind Energy Project, which was filed last November and stated the company plans to build up to five turbines in the area. The map that was included with that Notice showed five turbine locations, but when Skyway held a public information meeting in December there was no mention of specific locations.
The Echo tried three times this week to reach John Nicholson, who heads up Environmental Business Consultants, the consulting firm that’s doing the technical work for the Skyway proposal. Nicholson has acted as the spokesman for Skyway throughout this process and his name is listed as the contact on the Notice of Draft Site Plan, but we did not hear back from him this week.
We do not have a definitive explanation for the reduction of turbines, therefore, however the new map does make note of at least two proposed dwellings in close vicinity to former turbine locations. Interestingly, the new map retains a substation that would have linked the two missing turbines to the project, which now sits right on top of one of the proposed dwellings.
Jan Minduik, who has been speaking on behalf of a large group of neighbours who oppose the project, told the Echo that she has no comment at this time. She did reiterate her wish, however, that when Skyway holds a second public information meeting (which it has apparently told Clearview Council it will do), that it be held in Singhampton, which is half the distance away from the proposed wind farm as Creemore, where the December meeting was held.