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Councilor counsels
councilor
In response to the last paragraphs
of Councilor Gary Brown's recent
column:
One day last week I was driving
through Hyannis when the window
opened on the very nice automobile
in front of me, and a paper cup - lid,
straw and liquid - came sailing out
and landed on the side of the street.
The homeless and the jobless are not
the only people who litter.
Alan Burt , a Centerville resident , is
a tireless advocate for the homeless
and disadvantaged who has spent
countless hours of his own time to
help bringreliefto asituation that too
many others turn their backs on. And
while the plight of the homeless and
jobless in the village of Hyannis has
been an issue for some time, it was a
"Marstons Mills" councilor - and her
newly formed (volunteer ) Barnstable
Human Services Committee - who
initiated "Operation In From the
Cold ," which saved lives last winter
and set a precedent being followed
this summer to further alleviate this
trying situation.
I am reminded of two of my favorite
quotes: "Those who say that a thing
cannot be done should not get in the
way of those who are doing it." and
something my wonderful mother has
said -"I could stand on my head and
spit nickels, and they'd be looking
for quarters."
Janice L. Barton
Town Councilor, Precinct 10
Chair. Barnstable Human Ser-
vices Committee
Marstons Mills
A 40B thats bad for Cotuit
Editor 's note: A copy of this letter
to Rick Presbrey teas provided to the
Patriot by its author.
I respectfully disagree with your
opinions in the Barnstable Patriot
(June 9) about the beneficial nature
CONTINUED ON PAGE C.8
~ LETTCKIZ^
By Michael Daley
columnist@barnstablepatnot.com
A dear old friend and former fellow
Barnstable Patriot columnist used to re-
fer to me as the "magnet." The nickname
was his way of indicating that my monthly
column tended to generate more letters to
the editor than his.
Last month my magnetism seemed to
be a bit stronger that the traditional D
cell battery, wire and nail type of magnets
that we grew up building and playing with
when we were kids.
The purpose of my column last month
was to question some recent behavior by
some local legislators. I believed it to be
unproductive behavior. I saw an emerging
pattern of legislative activity that attempt-
ed to expand the level of process activity.
The expansion of process understandably
adds drag to governmental production.
This particular increased drag was directed
toward an important process already ex-
ceeding more than a year.
E x p a n s i o n
of process is a
common tactic
used in govern-
ment for vari-
ous reasons. In
some cases , it
can serve as a
highly effective,
yet invisible, filibuster mechanism. Many
times it is the result of an inexperienced
legislator just trying to keep the big tent
wide open and everyone in there making
nice with every one else in there. My point
was that it is OK to break some eggs given
that omelets are being made. Good legis-
lation many times results in no one liking
the end result.
Included in my discussion of process-
inhibiting behavior was another recently-
observed behavior that adds drag to the
process of good government. The "fat
finding " comment was not my cute term.
Looking for fat in the town manager 's bud-
get was a comment from a local leader that
I read in the daily newspaper.
It is my premise that a qualified Massa-
chusetts local government official reviewing
a professionally developed budget in this
era should already know that there is no
fat in there to hunt down.
I apply this standard to both elected and
appointed local officials. Comments about
fat in municipal budgets are generally de-
liberate and designed to be inflammatory
political statements. These statements
never help improve a local budget process.
I believe these comments did not help
Barnstable this year.
Unfortunately last month my magnetism
resulted in a published letter that indicated
that I attacked the council vice president
last month. That is just not even a remote
possibility. I would have raised a flag for
her last month if I had figured out a way
to do it and keep my word count down to
where it needed to be.
During the particular council meeting I
had reviewed , she actually led the charge
against the proposed expansion of the
process. She especially deserved credit for
quality leadership during that meeting. So
this month something else was cut so there
is no mistake about who I thought did a
good job at that meeting last month.
To correct the record again. I have no
recollection of any disagreement I am al-
leged to have with her. It is extremely dif-
ficult for me to disagree with an individual
CONTINUED ON PAGE A:12
An unmagnetic
response
Commentary
By Charles W. Kleekamp
columnist@barnstablepatnot.com
European experience with offshore wind
farms in relatively shallow costal waters is
a maturing technology.With a dozen opera-
tional windfarms built over the last 12 years
in waters up to 60 feet deep and with 20 or
more in the construction and permitting
stage their economic , environmental and
safety issues have been largely addressed.
These shallow water windfarms make use
of well developed simple monopole foun-
dations driven deep into the seabed or, so
called "gravity bases," concrete structures
much like a flat bottom Christmas tree
stand that are floated in place , submersed
and filled with rock.
Certainly far offshore winds in deep wa-
ter are more plentiful and stronger than
those nearer the coast. And the lure of
such development is understandable from
the potential of enormous wind energy
production. However technical viability and
economic practicality lay somewhere in the
future.The question is how far in the future?
And what must be done to get there? And
must we wait?
Future deepwater windfarms in over 60
feet of water or so will require much more
expensive multi-leg structures or floating
platforms for depths up to several hundred
feet. This technology is being explored by
energy companies with experience in off-
shore oil and gas platforms. Currently such
construction is possible but its economic
viability and operational performance is
far from reality.
For example , the first deepwater dem-
onstration project now in the permitting
stage is undertaken by Talisman Energy,
an oil and gas producer in the North Sea.
It will consist of two newly designed five-
megawatt (MW) wind turbines 14 miles
off the Scottish coast in 150 feet of water.
Perched on top of four-legged undersea
lattice-type foundation structures, the two
wind turbines will provide power to nearby
oil and gas platforms in their Beatrice com-
plex. The total cost of this project is $58
million provided by Talisman, Scottish and
Southern Energy (UK) , and three govern-
ment agencies. This cost does not include
the expensive high-voltage undersea cables
that would be required to bring wind power
ashore. Talisman will collect performance
data, look for ways to reduce costs and de-
velop operating procedures over five years
to examine the feasibility and benefits of
creating a future commercial deepwater
wind farm at this site.
Compared to conventional shallow wa-
ter offshore windfarms that cost about $2
million per MW installed , the fixed-pile
foundation Talisman project at $5.8 million
per MW is almost three times as expensive
and prohibitively uneconomical in the near
term.
In a cautious statement Talisman Energy
has said "current forecasts for electricity
prices will never render this Demonstrator
Project economic. It is an R&D project ,not a
commercial one, and as such requires public
sector funding in order to proceed. " Fur-
thermore , they say it is impossible , at this
stage to give any definitive answer regarding
the go ahead for the commercialization of
this project , "but it certainly should not be
regarded as inevitable. "
For even deeper water installations from
600 to 2,000 feet , anchored floating platforms
are envisioned. The first experiment with
this type of foundation is under develop-
ment at Hydro Oil & Energy in Norway.
In this project a single 3MW wind turbine
will be mounted to an undersea floating
concrete foundation that'sanchored to the
sea floor 400 feet below the surface of the
ocean. The hub of the turbine monopole
will be 260 feet above the surface of the
sea. For the concept to work , it is crucial
that the wind turbines be light , requiring
further technological development.
This floating wind turbine demonstration
proj ect willrequire about $23 mDlion to com-
plete. The comparative unit cost is about
$7.7 millionperMW installed. Hydro'sfuture
goal for large offshore floating windfarms
is far in the future , "but if we're to succeed
in 10 to 15years, we have to start the work
today," said Alexandra Bech Gj0rv,Hydro 's
director of new energy forms.
General Electric , in addition to manu-
facturing the 3.6 MW turbines slated for
the Cape Wind project , has embarked on
a multi-year research effort to design a
7 MW far offshore unit. The U.S. Depart-
ment of Energy has signed a $27 million
contract with GE for this development.
The advanced wind system concepts will
include innovative foundations , construc-
tion techniques, rotor designs and electrical
components designed for use in the ocean's
harsh environment.
So the question remains. How far in the
future will these research and development
proj ects become realistically competitiv e
with shallow water projects? History is
replete with promising technologies that
have taken decades to commercialize. For
example the evolution of the transistor to
large-scale integrated circuits of today has
taken 50 years. Photovoltaic cells have ex-
isted since the early 1900s and have yet to
evolve into competitive large-scale energy
sources.
It is simply conjecture to answer the
question of "how long?" for deep water
wind. "The biggest challenge for deepwater
wind turbines will be to merge the mature
but expensive technologies borne of the oil
and gas industry with the experience and
low-cost economic drivers fueling the shal-
low water offshore wind energy industry,"
said Walt Musial of the National Renew-
able Energy Laboratory. He speculated
that "commercial deepwater technology is
10-15 years away." And Greg Watson . Vice
President of the Massachusetts Technology
Collaborative , adds: "A number of issues
need to be addressed before economically
viable electricity-generating wind facilities
can be erected in the deep waters off the
US. Our experts are confident they can
be addressed , but not overnight , and not
without the benefit of experience gained
from shallow water projects. "
All evidence makes it clear that we cannot
afford to wait to avoid catastrophic conse-
quences. How much time do we have? The
mounting crisis of energy prices , national
security and global warming can be eased
in part with the development of shallow
water wind farms. Let's embrace the Cape
Wind project , the flagship of our country 's
first offshore windfarm. Let' s get started
now and make it work.
The writer, a retired engineer living in Sandwich , Is vice
president of Clean Power Now.
The allure of deepwater
wind power
1C0RNER
I_I_ mmmmmmmBy Paul Oauvirt
pgauvin@barnstablepatriot.com
Maybe it s the frustration of dealing with
problems that lack universally satisfactory
solutions, but a couple of Cape lobbyists are
spearing the wrong fish.
Rick Presbrey, the paid advocate of housing
for the huddled masses, unleashed a tirade
against Mr. and Mrs. Solid America recently,
blaming their snobbish anti-40B sentiments
and their systems of government for depriving
the low-wage working class of equal housing
opportunities.
And Cynthia Cole, paid director of the
downtown Business Improvement District,
fired a sinfully abused cliche to fault working
people who want to sleep at night and, in so
doing, tripped on a contradiction.
In an op-ed piece, Presbrey, executive direc-
tor of the Housing Assistance Corp., railed
against residents protecting their neighbor-
hoods from unwanted density and their dol-
lars from the unending demands being made
upon them to support the "victims" of Demo-
cratic capitalism.
He said in a news story on the same day his
op-ed piece appeared that the peninsula's
forms of government "confuse Cape Codders,
leaving them stymied about issues such as
housing ... I don't like the system," he said, "I
just don't think it works."
Try Socialism. All families large and small
get their 300 square feet of high-rise living
space.
Presbrey sees 40B in part as a form of re-
venge against towns that "deserve it for the
pathetically little they have done to make sure
all their citizens have safe and decent places
to live..." All their citizens? That's a big order.
Unfortunately, Presbrey offers an unbal-
anced argument. He could just as well rant
about the systemic root-causes and possible
solutions for the Cape's housing dilemma.
They are unpleasant topics that include the
immoral wage gap and excessive second-home
ownership that boosts prices on the Cape,
where nearly half the homes are vacation or
rental units. There is neither consensus nor
will for any root-cause solution.
Towns aren't responsible for reconciling the
Cape's greed factor by providing housing for
the lower-wage earners, just as it is not a mu-
nicipal duty to supply food, or automobiles,
or electricity or heating oil, or clothing or jobs
to the market system's victims -yet most of
these things, like housing, are provided within
reason.
Chapter 40B grates on some people because
of density and all that implies about traffic
and crime and sub-standard quality of living.
Families having the wherewithal purchase their
homes - not investments -in zone-protected
neighborhoods and have a right to expect en-
forcement of conditions under which they pur-
chased and which 40B developments breach.
Americans are reasonably generous when it
comes to compassionate giving. They ought
not be faulted by lobbyists of the underserved
housing constituency and overzealous busi-
ness community for wanting to preserve a
quality-of-life standard they care about and
pay for.
As to Cole's gaffe, she noted in a licensing
board news story concerning the clash be-
tween nighttime entert ainment in downtown
Hyannis and the wishes of nearby residents for
peace, that "If you don't like the sound of air-
planes, don't move next to the airport ." That
wasn't enough. "You don't move to an urban
center (downtown Hyannis?) if you would pre-
fer the quiet of a rural neighborhood. "
Brilliant!
However, as BID director, the resident of
tranquil Barnstable Village is employed to
help investors succeed with their new mixed-
use, above-retail housing units popping up
downtown near the sometimes irritatingly
raucous Melody Tent and wannabe night clubs
masquerading as restaurants.
It is contradictory to discourage potential
buyers by steering them away from down-
town digs and their potential sleepless nights
wrought by the cacophony of night life (and
rising crime reported in the local daily last
week) around Main Street and Melody Tent
-not to mention a recent binge of graffiti on
newly remodeled buildings.
Perhaps , to rebut with the same argument
merely to expose its silliness, it is the restau-
rateurs who should move to uninhabited en-
virons or, at the least, install air conditioning
and soundproofing so that , as in Las Vegas,
what is heard there stays there.
Suggestion: Impose a surtax on all enter-
tainment licenses downtown. Use the pro-
ceeds to buy really good earplugs. Whenever
someone complains about noise, stuff the
plugs in their ears. When certain they can't
hear, smile at them while screaming that they
are useless whiners and business obstruction-
ists who should be deported to the hauntingly
still desert .
Then pray they'll hear the fire alarm should
it go off during the din of nocturnal revelry.
Testy housing and biz
lobbyists toss javelins at
unwary public
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