Council President Agrees: Johnston Needs Own Wind Turbine Ordinance

Although they didn't come up as an agenda item at this week's town council meeting, the proposals for wind turbines to be built in Johnston off Greenville Avenue were still mentioned — Councilwoman Stephanie Manzi asked Town Clerk Vincent P. Baccari Jr. to research the progress of applications in other towns.

According to town officials, the earliest that the local applications could be addressed is late spring or early summer. Town Solicitor William Conley is currently working with a study group to develop a framework for handling applications in the future — it was the lack of such rules that led the zoning board to suspend its review of the applications on Jan. 27.

(Read about how North Kingstown has been dealing with the issue: The town council there on approval for wind turbines in January, and later .)

During a phone interview before the meeting, Council President Robert V. Russo said he supports the town's ongoing work to write new regulations into the Code of Ordinances to govern applications for the wind turbines — which, at an estimated 486 feet, exceed the town's current height restriction by some 450 feet.

"I don't even feel comfortable handling these issues without a way to regulate them," Russo explained, adding that the question of a potential state moratoriumshouldn't stop the town from putting its own rules into place. "I'd move ahead with both the moratorium and the town ordinance to have an extra blanket of security."

Mayor Joseph M. Polisena, in a separate interview prior to the Feb. 17 council session, agreed that the town should move forward, no matter what happens on the state level.

"We want to govern our own destiny," Polisena said. "I don't want the state governing our destiny — they haven't done a very good job of it, to be honest."

Russo said he thinks Conley's estimate of 90 days is realistic — and that the council will be ready to pass the new ordinance.

"If they have it by April, I'd think we could have it ready (for a first vote) for our May meeting," Russo stated. Under the town charter, two votes are required to approve new ordinances.