FACEOFF POLL: Should private property owners be allowed to have windmills erected on their property?

The people that use the viewsheds as an excuse are out of line. Private property is just that, it does not belong to the masses. Would they want the rest of us to tell them what color to paint their homes or what kind of car to drive because we might not like what they choose. I think not. I don't pay taxes on my land so they can look at my part of a mountain and I do not believe anyone else does either. Judy

I agree with Judith and could not have stated it any better. As long as landowners are not breaking any laws, causing pollution, or physically impacting neighbors or neighboring land then freedom is the word.

More in-depth... Yes, WV is wild and wonderful and the wind mills will detract from the beautiful mountains/landscape we and tourist love about the state, BUT WV is also one of the most depressed states in the US. There is no economical future growth unless the state finds something that is truly needed and can be provided by WV. Coal was the industry that kept the state economy steady. It is still a big part of the economy, but it is dwindling, what happens when it is gone? Will tourism growth pick up the pace enough to keep the state afloat? Will tourism open enough jobs to employ the tens of thousands that will lose jobs as coal resources are depleted? WV needs to be creative and the wind power is a good start for future economical investments. They are not a solution for the state, but a good start. Residents of WV are guilty as well. Even in Mineral County there have been many businesses that wanted to come in and the residents have protested and basically forced the businesses to build in other states. Sometimes the residents had good arguments, but the same residents also complain that there are no jobs in the county. How many of your children have been forced to move away to find a good paying job? This trend will not end until businesses are offered a reason to build in WV or Mineral County. The people of WV are hard-working citizens, but it is hard to work without jobs. I say build the windmills and start thinking about how to expand on business interests to the state and county.

I agree with Judith and AmericanThruandThru ! Separation from unfair practices by our local governments such as keeping prayer out of schools because the less than 2 % feel slighted. So what, if I want to put up an individual wind turbine than it should be my place to say and not some prejudicial group like our county commissioners. This is not a retirement village, we need jobs brought here and not just a bunch of promises. We need to take our government back! For the people and by the people it needs to go back to! Our problem in this area is that a select few decide for the majority and not the other way around. Come on people, remember this come our next county election and vote real everyday people in to the elected positions. Someone who represents the masses and not the select few elitists in this county !

I think anything that harnesses natural sources like the wind or sun for energy is a good thing for the county and the world.

I also think property owners have the right to use their property as they wish. Their neighbors not agreeing with their taste in lawn furniture or the paint color of their house or whether they object to seeing a windmill has nothing to do with a persons rights as a property owner.

Those who oppose it should be happy their neighbors aren't starting a pig farm or salvage yard.

I recently looked at a property in Mineral County that was within a quarter mile of multiple windmills. Landowners who have the windmills nearby should note that their land becomes less desireble to prospective buyers as a result of the noise the windmills make at such a close distance. "woof-woof-woof" I'm neither for or against the windmills. I just would not want to buy or live close to them.

Some people may claim that the windmills are an eyesore and I'll agree with them that they aren't the most pleasing structures to look at. I greatly appreciate the outdoors, especially the local area, but something has to be done to find an alternative to fossil fuels or there may not be anything left worth perserving. If we set aside small tracts of land for clean energy, it benefits everyone. Who cares if the view is effected. It's better than smog. Let these people do with their land what they will. It's not like they are blast mining or sheering off moutaintops.

As a real estate appraiser in West Virginia, I have studied real estate market trends in Grant and Tucker Counties where wind farms are in operation and under construction. Because these projects are in operation now, we can review existing data on the actual impacts of wind turbines on property values. After two full years of research since my assessment, sales data shows that wind farms have not negatively affected the value of property.

The data I reviewed comes from the Metropolitan Regional Information System, which is a subscription database for realtors, appraisers and assessors. Property appraisers are the eyes of the mortgage company and this data is collected on property sales.

In Grant County in 2007, nine of the highest ten property sales were located in sight of the wind turbines at the NED Power Mount Storm project. One home sited on 2.09 acres with a view of both the wind turbines and the Dominion Mount Storm coal fired power plant sold for the listing price of $386,000.

Overall, comparing 2006 versus 2007 Grant county property values near the NED Power turbine project, the following results were noted: property values increased; the volume of properties sold increased by 50%; the average sale price increased; the total units sold increased; the average list price increased; and the average days on the market decreased.

This is not only happening in West Virginia. This data is consist with other studies done recently in New York, Illinois, Colorado and nationally where objective appraisers and researchers have reviewed similar sales data to come to similar conclusions: wind turbines do not negatively impact property values.

Property Marketing Associates is an appraisal firm located in Grant County that focuses on residential properties and vacant land in nine counties of West Virginia.