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  1. SunCatcher sound studies continue; County audio expert’s testimony doesn’t jive with Tessera’s - December, 2010

    by Vince and Mary Palermo

    A very animated Matt Jones gave a detailed presentation on the sound issues surrounding the Tessera Suncatchers.

    On Monday, December 6, the Saguache County courtroom was packed for the Tessera Solar public hearing.

    The hearing  began with  Tessera  giving their presentations. Then Russell Engineering, the firm hired to research all the project details for the Commissioners, spoke.

    The third presenter was Matt Jones, an acoustic engineer, from Mestre Graves.  He was hired to be an unbiased reviewer of the noise report that was prepared for Tessera by HDR (an architectural, engineering, and consulting firm).  There had been considerable opposition to the validity and accuracy of the HDR noise report, which led to engaging the company, Mestre-Greves, which has a high professional reputation.  Matt was able to dig through the raw data collected by HDR, find some errors of computer analysis, and come up with an analysis very different from the Tessera report.  In short, Matt reported the noise level at the project boundary, produced  by 5,728 SunCatchers, would be 70dBA, and a half mile away it would be 55dBA.  70dBA is very loud noise and is equivalent to a busy, four-lane highway.

    These numbers are critical because the CO State statute on noise states that 55dBA is the legal limit.  The statute further imposes a 5dBA penalty for “shrill and impulsive noise” which lowers the legal limit to 50dBA.  Matt Jones and his staff considered Suncatcher noise to be shrill, therefore according to the CO statutes,  the noise limit for SunCatchers  is 50dBA. Only HDR disagreed that the noise was shrill.  Tom Dessain proved the point by bringing his amplifiers and loudspeakers and played SunCatcher noise on the front lawn of the Courthouse.

    We went to Maricopa, AZ in September and measured the noise level at Tessera’s 60-SunCatcher plant.  Using these sound measurements, and accounting for sound reduction from the 500-foot setback, we calculated a noise level of close to 70dBA at the Saguache project property boundary.  Our noise levels are in agreement with Matt Jones’, and, in our opinion, prove that the HDR report for 5,728 SunCatchers is incorrect and misrepresents the “real time” noise that would be generated.

    In summary, the noise level would be 20dBA over the CO statute (15dBA if “shrill” is not counted) and exceeds the CO law limit.  Additionally, the noise level is 27dBA over the County Solar Guidelines using HDR’s ambient, and 45decibels over the Guidelines using our ambient sound level measurements.

    Elsewhere, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has approved a 28,000 SunCatcher plant in  Imperial Valley, CA, and a 26,500 SunCatcher project in San Bernadino, CA—both on BLM land.  The parent company of Tessera is NTR, an Irish conglomerate investing in green energy projects and waste management.  However, NTR lost $280 million dollars in the last fiscal year.  The future picture of SunCatcher is uncertain since both CA projects are experiencing opposition, and a Texas SunCatcher project recently had funding support withdrawn.

    In comparing SunCatchers to other solar technologies, its cost per installed watt is more than two times that of PV.  Further, it has the highest maintenance cost.  SunCatchers may not play out to be cost-competitive.

    A second final public meeting will be scheduled. Written comments are still being accepted. It is important our Commissioners hear each and every concern. Everyone will be heard this time.

  2. Concerned citizens pack courtroom —Tessera hearing continued - December, 2010

    by Matie Belle Lakish

    Richard Knox of Tessera Solar provided map details for the proposed development area.

    Richard Knox of Tessera Solar provided map details for the proposed development area.

    December 6 was a long day—for local residents, Tessera representatives, and Saguache County Commissioners Pace, Spearman, and Joseph. The official Public Hearing for the Tessera Solar Project in the San Luis Valley began at 2pm and was finally halted at 8:20pm, with a directive from the Commissioners that it would be reconvened at a later date so that all those who signed up to make comments would have an opportunity to do so. The deadline for written comments has also been extended until further notice.

    The standing-room-only crowd which gathered for the Public Hearing filled the upstairs courtroom and flowed out into the foyer. Citizens also filled several pages with signatures of those wishing to address the Commissioners. The first order of business was a report on the sound levels by the firm Mestre-Greves, which was hired by the County, and paid for by Tessera, to basically “check the facts” of the sound study provided by HDR, Tessera’s choice. Mestre-Greves representative Matt Jones presented a detailed report that showed that the HDR report underestimated noise impacts.

    Prior to testimony, Wendi Maez, Land Use Administrator, distributed a 14-page document created by Nancy Lauro of Russell Engineering that summarizes their findings to date as delineated in the County’s 1041 process. The summary says: “The project as currently proposed has the potential for significant positive and negative impacts to the County. There are still significant portions of the project that need additional review and information to be provided to insure protection of the community from the potential negative impacts. Should the BOCC agree that it appears that the impacts can be mitigated with additional review and studies and the applicant agrees to additional review,” three alternative actions are listed:

    “A. Find that the project meets the required criteria for approval and direct staff to draft a permit with proposed written findings and conditions.” (This alternative is followed by five pages of “Suggested Conditions”. This document can be found on the website www.saguachecounty.net under Land Use, Tessera Solar Comment Letters, Russell Engineering Staff Report. I’m not sure if it will be changed after further public comment.)

    “B. Recommend denial with specific reasons and findings stated.

    “C. Continue with specific directions to staff and/or applicants.”

    That “additional review” seems to be very important to this project, as most of the questions and comments from citizens related to lack of detail in a number of areas. These areas include impacts to wildlife, especially birds; specifics on wetlands; specifics on jobs and training; mitigation of glare and visual impacts; effects of wind and low temperatures on functioning of Stirling engines and SunCatchers. Other citizens asked about the method of creating the hydrogen and what caustic fluids would be left over. The courtroom erupted in laughter when references were made to confining blowing dust to within the boundaries of the property, a requirement of state law.

    The hearing room was packed with concerned citizens.

    Noise, of course, is a huge concern ( see article this page), and it did not appear that either of the studies done consider the cumulative impact of noise from all sources, including the sub-station which is scheduled to be sited very close to the corner of T Road and Co. Rd. 55, right across from a residence.

    Kathryn Van Note, who was commissioned to write solar regulations for the County in 2009, asked why these were not being used to evaluate this project rather than the 1041 Regulations, a much more generic set of regulations that counties can use to evaluate large projects. Commissioner Linda Joseph replied that the County is using both—the 1041s and the Solar Guidelines, as they are now called. It did not seem, however, that either Tessera or their representative, Ecosphere Environmental Services, was very familiar with these guidelines.

    On more than one occasion, Richard Knox replied to requests for more information by saying that details would be forthcoming once the application was approved. This lack of detail seems to be the greatest block to truly understanding the scope and impacts of this proposed project. The Land Use Department has made some effort to address some of these unanswered questions in the “Suggested Conditions” under Alternative A in the document listed above. However, it is far from comprehensive.

    At one point, after many citizens had gone home for the evening, the Board asked to take comments from anyone supporting the project. Bill McClure said that many Center residents support it because it promises jobs. He also said that the assumption that it would provide lots of tax revenue should be investigated. McClure, a former County Commissioner and CPA, said the TABOR Amendment may mean that the County will have to return most of the increased tax revenue they collect to taxpayers. This could be a boon to taxpayers, but not to County government. Commissioner Pace replied that Tessera would be taxed on how much energy is produced. The question of revenue to the County is another area that does not seem to be well addressed, as there might be expenses to the County that will not be funded until the project is up and running and providing revenue.

    The most insightful comment, in my opinion, was presented by longtime county resident, Greg Terrell, who spoke of pivotal points in history. He said the first major change to the Valley took place when European settlers introduced agriculture to the area. The second major change could come with the introduction of major industry in the form of large scale Concentrated Solar, which has the potential to change the nature of the Valley from an agricultural to an industrial landscape, and he asked the Commissioners to make a wise choice—whether they would take the corporate route or a more sustainable path.

    When the meeting was adjourned at 8:20pm, many people had still not had a chance to make comments. The Board agreed to extend the deadline for written comments and schedule another opportunity for public comment.

    In the meantime, however, the Commissioners have been contacted by their consultant, Nancy Lauro, with news that Richard Knox, Tessera’s Valley representative, has taken a position with another company. Articles in other news media indicate that Tessera has laid off over 50% of their national staff, leading to rumors that they may be restructuring. The Tessera representatives indicated to Lauro, however, that they plan to move forward with the project, and Knox will continue with them, at least long enough to wrap up any loose ends.

    Please check the county’s website for public comment and hearing dates and updates  at www.saguachecounty.net.

    To comment on this article or see updates on this news story visit www.crestoneegle.com

  3. Crestone/Baca Planning Commission recommends cell phone tower; County Commissioners approve - December, 2010

    In a 3-1 vote (1 in abstentia) the Baca-Crestone Planning Commission voted to recommend approval for construction of a new 250 foot cell-phone tower northwest of Casita Park. In an attempt to make a compromise with local residents, the tower location had been re-sited and will be roughly 5/8 of a mile from Casita Park. It is also further to the northwest on the Johnson/Malouff property, and with less of a view impact than the previously proposed location. Mike Sharlow, site development contractor for Commnet Wireless. (commnetwireless.com) indicated the new proposed 250 foot height includes two lights (one at the top and one midway up the tower) per FAA regulations. Sharlow indicated that erection of this tower will allow for full coverage for the town of Crestone and Baca development with wireless phone and internet/data by: AT&T Wireless; Sprint PCS; T-Mobile; and Verizon Wireless networks; as well as many local/regional/international carriers.

    As far as overall site impact, there will be three low containers that house the necessary equipment and a 100’ square chain-link fence surrounding it. The total power of emissions is 40 watts. According to Federal guidelines, this amount of radiation would be around 1% of what is allowable when standing anywhere near the tower; this radiation diminishes rapidly as you get further away. The proposed site is more than 5/8ths of a mile from any existing residence.

    When representatives from Commnet were asked to address the concerns of residents regarding health effects, they replied that, according to Federal regulations (no citation found), any jurisdiction considering siting allowance cannot use health concerns as a legal/valid reason for denial, as the Federal government has already set the standards for radiation: for this tower it is deemed to be a non-issue.

    In the end, the Planning Commission Board voted 3 to 1 in favor of the application. Against: Burt Wadman; For: Lisa Cyraics, Jahree Burton, Diane Dunlap; In Abstentia: Kairena Danforth. (Clay Bridgeford had to leave before the vote was taken) However, the Commission also tacked on an advisory that the height of the tower and any possible lighting be mitigated as much as is reasonably possible.

    Thirteen days later, at a regular Saguache County Commissioners’ meeting, the cell phone tower application came before the Commissioners. According to Matie Belle Lakish, only one other member of the public was present. After minimal discussion, two of the three Commissioners voted to approve the application as is. Other than concerns raised by Commissioner Joseph about further time to research the mitigation impacts as recommended by the Planning Commission, no further attention was given to those recommendations. Commnet’s land use application was approved by a vote of 2:1, Voting against: Linda Joseph, Voting for: Mike Spearman, Sam Pace.

    A PDF version of the application, including schematic details and land plats, is available at our website at: crestoneeagle.com/dl/commnet

  4. Masonry heaters - December, 2010

    by Kelly Hart

    There is a centuries-old tradition in Europe that is only beginning to be known in North America: the use of masonry heaters. For some reason Americans are entirely familiar with wood stoves and fireplaces, but have only a hazy notion of what a masonry heater is. This is unfortunate because these devices represent the epitome in home heating comfort and efficiency!

    Masonry Heaters; Designing, Building and Living with a Piece of the Sun, by Ken Matesz

    In his exceptional book, Masonry Heaters: Designing, Building, and Living with a Piece of the Sun, Ken Matesz explores every aspect of these works of art. Also known as kachelofens, Russian fireplaces, Finnish fireplaces, Swedish stoves, contra-flow fireplaces, radiant fireplaces and mass-storage fireplaces, their basic functional design concepts are all similar, although their appearances can be vastly different.

    Matesz calls them “a piece of the sun” because the heat that they provide is the same as that given by direct sunlight. This is radiant heat that you can feel being absorbed by your body when you are in the presence of the heater. Wood stoves and fireplaces also radiate this type of heat, but not nearly as efficiently; as soon as the fire goes out the heat quickly dims away. Not so with a masonry heater.

    A masonry heater that is as beautiful as it is functional.

    The whole idea with masonry heaters is to fire it only once or twice a day, building as big and hot a fire as the firebox will allow, giving it all the oxygen that it can consume, so that every bit of the fuel and the gases that are released are turned into heat. This is the cleanest, most efficient way to burn wood; there is virtually no creosote, hardly any smoke, and no fiddling with the fire over time. These heaters are often allowed in areas that have tight controls on air pollution because they burn so cleanly.

    The wonderful trick of a well-designed masonry heater is that it will absorb every bit of the heat from the fire into the masonry shell of the heater itself. It does this by directing the exit flue from the firebox through a labyrinth of unseen tunnels within the heater before any cooled fumes are eventually allowed to go up the chimney and out of the house. Once the mass of the heater gets warm, it gently radiates that heat for up to twelve hours … long after the fire has gone out.

    Often the heaters are designed with benches or areas where people can snuggle up to them to take advantage of the warm glow. They become like a welcome member of the family, one that people want to be near because of their radiant warmth. For this reason they are usually located at the center of the social area of the home, near the living room or dining room. Having such a prominent position in the house means that most owners want the heater to have a special presence, one that commands respect and admiration. Often the designs will lavish much attention on details and materials that speak of charm, durability and sometimes even opulence.

    Matesz has been designing and building masonry heaters for many years, and his new book glows with his expertise. He has a scientist’s mind for analyzing all the variables that go into good design, as well as an artist’s eye for the aesthetics that these durable works of art deserve. And as an author he writes very clearly, even passionately, about what he loves. This book is assembled with all the methodical care that he obviously lavishes on his building projects.

    This is one of the most beautifully illustrated books I have seen. There are color photographs on almost every page, and most of these are examples of the amazing variety that masonry heaters can embody. The book is worthwhile just for inspiration in how one might design such heaters, but there is also enough information to have a thorough understanding of all the elements that go into good physical design.

    The efficiency and aesthetic impact of this masonry heater can't be beat!

    I’m sure some are wondering how much these heaters might cost to have built. There are so many variables in size, configuration, and materials that the cost can only be given as a range. Matesz usually tells people that they cost around what you might expect to pay for a car. You might be happy with a basic Hyundai or you might crave a top-of-the-line Mercedes, and so this is the range that you might expect. But bear in mind that a well-made masonry stove can last for many generations and even outlast many of the homes where they reside.

    There are a number of kits available for either the core refractory materials and all the necessary hardware, or both this and the exterior cladding as well. Some of these kits are manufactured in Europe. Soapstone is the premier material for the exterior, since it has thermal properties that exceed all other stone, brick or stucco. The ability of soapstone to store heat is remarkable.

    To my way of thinking, the very best way to heat a home is with passive solar, since it is totally free, clean, and requires little fuss to utilize. Unfortunately, in much of world the climate doesn’t cooperate in providing abundant sunlight during the cold season. Furthermore, most houses do not really take advantage of the solar opportunity, so in these situations the next best option for heating could easily be with a masonry heater.

    I would advise a would-be masonry heater owner to hire expert help for designing and building the appliance, but armed with this book, you would know everything necessary to ask the right questions and to make good decisions.

  5. SunCatcher Noise May Sink CO Project: Health, welfare, safety, etc. But what if folks just don’t want it? - December, 2010

    by Larry Calloway

    It would be a noisy Space Age intrusion in one of Colorado’s last pure Old West landscapes, and more industrialization would  follow it into the northern San Luis Valley.

    Except for a couple of protestors yelling about jobs, most of the estimated 150 people in the packed crowd of Saguache County ranchers, retirees and quiescent Crestonians raised their voices against it.

    The applicants antagonized them with a trust-us-now, ask-questions-later attitude. Their scientific experts failed to prove they had spent much time, if any, at the site. Aware they will have to make a decision in a few weeks, the Saguache County Commission sat in silence except for the chairman’s angry attempts to hurry things along.

    The Dec. 6 hearing in the county court house on the application by Tessera Solar North America was …

    Please read the rest of this article posted at this link:

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  6. Hiker feared missing on N. Crestone Trail - December, 2010

    A deputy with the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office has linked an abandoned vehicle at a trail head that leads into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with an Atlanta man reported missing more than a month ago.

    Abisha "Abe" Mounce

    Abisha "Abe" Mounce

    The sheriff’s office is asking the public for help in finding the man who may have been driving it.

    The 2007 Jeep was found at the North Crestone Trailhead on Oct. 26, according to a release from the department.

    Xzianua Tong reported her husband, Abisha “Abe” Mounce missing on Nov. 14, but had the last contact from him on Oct. 21.

    Tong reported her husband left on Oct. 20, and she was contacted by his employer the following day and notified he had missed a business appointment. Tong reported she received an email from her husband on Oct. 21, in which he said he was quitting his job and going hiking for a couple of weeks.

    Mounce wrote Tong he would contact her, but she has not heard from him since.

    Tong also told deputies that Mounce has not used his credit card or accessed his bank accounts.

    Tomorrow, the Colorado National Guard will fly over the area to help the Sheriff’s Office in their search.

    Mounce was known as an avid hiker and had recently hiked the Appalachian Trail.

    Anyone with information or who may have seen Mounce or may have been hiking or climbing in Crestone area of the the Sangre Cristo Mountains from Oct. 25 to the present is asked to contact Deputy Nick Tolsma or Investigator Mark Werts at 719-655-2525.

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