Company continues study of wind
project in Auglaize County
January 20, 2012 8:19 PM
BOB BLAKE - 419-993-2077
BUCKLAND — A company with wind and solar-energy projects
in eight countries on four continents is continuing with preliminary
studies about the feasibility of a 100-megawatt wind project
in parts of Auglaize County, a company official said Friday.
Mainstream Renewable Power Inc., with headquarters
in Dublin, Ireland, is moving forward on various studies and
discussions with landowners in portions of Duchouquet, Logan
and Moulton townships, Matt Boss, the company's development manager
for the midwest region, said.
“I think we're a good two to three years from
seeing construction,” Boss said. “At this stage really
we're in the preliminary stage of determining the feasibility
of this project. It's a lot like putting together a jigsaw puzzle
and at this stage we don't really know what the complete picture
is yet.”
Feasibility studies and discussions with landowners
about leasing space to construct 40 to 60 turbines are expected
to continue through the year, Boss said. A proposal isn't expected
to go to the Ohio Power Siting Board, which approves wind turbine
projects, until at least next year, he said.
Dan Lambert, mayor of Buckland, which sits surrounded
by the townships where the proposed turbines would be located,
held a meeting this week so area residents could learn about
the project.
“I felt the public needed to be aware of what's
going on in the townships around the town,” Lambert said.
“This project is being worked on. If people have concerns,
they need to talk to their neighbors. Ultimately, the landowner
has the right to do whatever with their land.”
Boss said the company has been looking at Ohio for
a couple years with specific focus in western Ohio in just the
last year or so. Conversations with landowners have been taking
place for nine or 10 months, he said.
“This is still very early in the preliminary
stages,” Boss said.
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About Railway Quiet Zones
Beautiful footage--who doesn't love to watch a train,
when you're able to control the sound.
*Extra safety measures are put into place, preventing
'crashing' of gates. Trains are still equipped with horns
that can be blown should the engineer see a problem ahead. The
extra safety measures protect deaf, hard-of-hearing drivers
and drivers unable to hear due to loud vehicle, radio or stereo
noise.
There is still a crossing in town NOT equipped with gates that
is often used as an 'escape' route--Park Street.
THAT's NOT safe! The bottom line is NOT safety--it's $$$$$$$$.
Are we going to allow Wapak to be
the last kid on the block
to 'get it'? Wapak needs to provide for the safety and welfare,
not to mention the quality of life, for it's citizens.
Below is a field evaluation of
a Wayside Horn at a
Highway-Railroad Grade Crossing, by U.S. Department of Transportation
Research and Special Programs Administration,
John A. Volpe,
National Transportation Systems Center, June 1998
AHS™ Study Conclusions (Automated
Horn Systen)
"Wayside horns are a viable alternative to locomotive horns
for audible warning at grade crossings.
Wayside horns have the advantage of being closer to the motorist.
In addition, they have a more focused radiation pattern and produce
less community noise exposure."
Wayside Horn Sound Radiation and Motorist Audibility Evaluation,
Prepared for: Association of American Railroads, Prepared by:
Mike Fann & Associates, May 2000
"For nearby residents, the automated
horn system greatly reduces the negative impacts
resulting from the loud train horns; the automated horns are well
accepted by both motorists and locomotive engineers;
and the automated system appears to provide an equivalent level
of safety at the crossings."
Evaluation of an Automated Horn Warning System at Three Highway-Railroad
Grade Crossings
in Ames, Iowa, by Steve Gent, P.E. (Iowa DOT), Scott Logan, P.E.(City
of Ames Iowa), David Evans (Iowa State University), 1998
"The wayside horn provided an
equal or significantly louder audible warning
at the point at which motorists most need the warning."
Automated Wayside Train Horn Warning System Evaluation,
Prepared for: The City of Richardson, Texas, Prepared by: PB Farradyne
Inc., May 2001
"The AHS appears to be, after
almost 5 years of operation, an effective alternative to the locomotive
horn at the
Tenth Street crossing in Gering, Nebraska, with a violation rate
no greater than that observed during pretest monitoring."
A Safety Evaluation of the RCL Automated Horn System, by Stephen
S. Roop, Ph.D. Texas Transportation Institute, May 2000
"The safety evaluation suggests
that the wayside horn will not result in behavior
that puts the driver at increased risk compared to the use of
the train horn.
The frequency of violations was lower for the wayside horn than
the train horn,
while the time to collision and violation time was not statistically
or practically different for either warning system."
This is a picture
of a crossing in Wapak. Can anyone identify it?
