An overflow crowd said to be close to 1,500 converged on the community hall in Belwood Tuesday night to attend an open house for the proposed Belwood Wind Energy Centre.

For the most part, they were not a happy lot.

A similar open house was scheduled for Wednesday night at the community hall in Marsville.

At issue is a proposal by Invenergy Wind Canada ULC, a branch of Chicago-based Invenergy LLC, to develop a wind farm with between 25 and 35 turbine locations in an area that includes parts of Centre Wellington and East Garafraxa townships.

Those lining up for hundreds of yards to get into the hall and view Invenergy’s presentation had questions about how such a project would affect property values, health and the overall well-being of the community.

“It will turn our area industrial and it could affect people’s property values,” said West Garafraxa farmer Bob Service. “I would like to know if they intend to indemnify against drops in land values. I’m not against green energy. It’s the impact on the local people I’m thinking about.”

Ron Crane, an East Garafraxa farmer, came to the open house with a number of concerns, including the emotional impact of the project. “I think it might split the community,” he said, “between those that sign up to have the wind turbines and the guys that don’t sign up.”

James Murphy, development manager for the Belwood Wind Energy Centre, said there isn’t a plan in place to cover property value reductions, but pointed out that area landowners could benefit by participating.

Invenergy is offering one-time lump sum payments of up to $10,000 for the right to place a tower on the property, said Mr. Murphy, or they could enter into an agreement for an unspecified percentage of the turbine’s gross revenue.

Included in the literature the company had on hand at the open house was a study prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy of the impact wind turbines had on the value of nearby properties. The study found three “stigmas” that could have an impact.

One was “Area Stigma,” a concern that the general area surrounding a wind energy facility will appear more developed, which may adversely affect home values in the local community regardless of whether any individual home has a view of the wind turbines.

The second was a “Scenic Vista Stigma,” a concern that a home may be devalued because of the view of a wind energy facility, and the potential impact of that view on an otherwise scenic vista.

Thirdly, a “Nuisance Stigma,” was a concern that factors that may occur in close proximity to wind turbines, such as sound and shadow flicker, will have a unique adverse influence on home values.

The study concluded that none of the stigmas had a significant impact on property values. A situation closer to home, however, tells a different story, at least for those close to transformer stations.

Paul Thompson, a neighbour of the Melancthon wind farm’s transformer substation on the Tenth Line of Amaranth, had his 2010 property tax assessment reduced by 50 per cent following his appeals to the Assessment Review Board and discussions with MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corp.) largely on the strength of a digital recording of noise levels at his residence.

While the dramatic property tax reduction was welcome, Mr. Thompson has said he is still forced to sleep elsewhere because of the sound of the turbines, and says we would face close to a $150,000 loss if he were to sell his property.

Mr. Murphy said there are also health concerns in relation to wind turbines and said these are acknowledged by the industry.

“Some folks do get annoyed by turbines,” he said, “and annoyance can lead to stress.” While stress, in itself, is not a major physiological disorder, it has been considered a catalyst for severe health conditions.

A group referring to itself as the Society for Wind Vigilance was on hand to pass out leaflets that elaborated on what

Mr. Murphy said. The leaflets contained a statement the society says comes from the World Health Organization.

It read: “Sleep disturbance and annoyance are the first effects of night noise and can lead to mental disorders. The effects of noise can even trigger premature illness and death.”

Mr. Murphy said Ontario Ministry of the Environment guidelines call for a minimum 500- metre setback from nonparticipating properties.

He also added that, by no means, is the project a done deal. The open house, he explained, “is part of a longer conversation that will go on for several months.”

Invenergy aims to obtain a contract for the sale of electricity from wind power with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) through the Province’s Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program under the Green Energy and Green Economy Act. The project will require Renewable Energy Approval (REA) under the Ontario Environment Protection Act.

The REA process replaces previous requirements for several separate approvals, such as the Environmental Assessment Act, Planning Act and Environmental Protection Act.