Park City Wind to unveil Centerville cable plans July 11. Here's one resident's objections

Offshore wind developer Avangrid Renewables will continue to pursue its plans to land cables at Craigville Beach in Centerville with an initial appearance on Tuesday before the Barnstable Conservation Commission.

At least one resident is taking the company to task, saying Avangrid didn't give the public enough notice about its appearance before the commission.

Avangrid Renewables is seeking local permits for its 804-megawatt Park City Wind offshore wind farm, planned south of the Islands. Park City Wind would, if approved, link to a substation in West Barnstable and provide electricity for areas of Connecticut, according to the company.

Not enough notice: Resident Robert Schulte

On Thursday night at the Centerville Library, during one of a series of open houses the company is holding, Barnstable resident Robert Schulte told the company that notification for the July 11 hearing was too short. He had received an email about the hearing earlier the same day.

Schulte followed up on Friday afternoon with a formal letter to Park City Wind external affairs manager Patrick Johnson, copied to the Times, the Centerville Civic Association, at least three Town Council members, and others.

In light of assurances given in May that "plenty of notice would be given to the public," Schulte wrote he was "shocked" to see Johnson's July 6 notification about the July 11 hearing, and dismayed that it was initially sent "to just 14 people."

He said getting notice three business days prior to the hearing is not the promised "plenty of notice" in his opinion, especially during a holiday week when many people were on vacation or entertaining.

Schulte asked the company to reschedule for Conservation Commission's July 25 meeting or later to give at least two weeks notice.

Avangrid Renewables rep says he tried to notify everyone he could

Avangrid's Johnson on Friday said he emailed leaders of the civic association on July 6, immediately after he got confirmation the project would be on the July 11 agenda, and before the agenda was publicly posted. He also said notification was sent out to a full email list on Friday, and he additionally "spent most of the day contacting Centerville residents and organizations well beyond the list to let them know about the hearing, including those who sent in comments to the Cape Cod Commission earlier this year."

Johnson explained he wanted to avoid telling people the project "might" be on an agenda.

Johnson said by phone Friday that the company is interested in as much public participation as possible. In recognition of Schulte's concerns, and instead of rescheduling the hearing, he said "we will ask that there absolutely be a continuance of the hearing to a future date" so there can be more chances for comment.

Johnson pointed out that will be up to the commission, but he'd be surprised if the application could be reviewed and voted upon during just one hearing.

What is planned at the July 11 Barnstable Conservation Commission meeting?

The commission on July 11 will open a public hearing on the company's notice of intent to bring submarine electric transmission cables ashore at Craigville Beach and route them under the Centerville River to a substation proposed on Shootflying Hill Road.

Specifically, the notice of intent is about the "proposed installation of two 275-kV submarine electric transmission cables in Nantucket Sound, and onshore duct bank system at Craigville Beach and 2 Short Beach Road," according to the agenda on Saturday.

The company will give an overview of the project and plans for landing the cables, Johnson said.

The remote hearing is set for 6:30 p.m., and will be televised on Channel 18, and also live streamed on the station's website. Public comment addressed to the commission will be available via Zoom or by phone.

To file a notice of intent, an applicant must go through a process to notify neighbors in a 100-foot radius of the project parcel and also file a legal ad notification in a local paper, according to Conservation Commission regulations. Generally, except in cases of emergency, a public body such as a multi-member town board must provide the public with notice of its meetings 48 hours in advance, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, according to the state's open meeting law.

Resident skeptical of Avangrid response: 'wildly in appropriate' for company to selectively notify citizens

Schulte remained concerned Friday night after receiving Johnson's emailed response to his letter, saying the plan of action "serves only the interests of Avangrid." He maintains "it is wildly inappropriate for Avangrid to selectively contact Centerville residents and organizations of their choosing" to notify them of the hearing.

"This is a critical step in the permitting/approval process for the Park City Wind project and it is imperative that public notice is widespread and made with a minimum of two weeks and more appropriately 30 days," he said by email.

It is also possible the Conservation Commission could choose not to continue the hearing, Schulte said, which would deprive residents the opportunity to comment. Even if the hearing was continued, anyone interested "would have missed the entire first hearing discussion prior to being continued," he said.

"Why leave that up to chance? The only fair thing for Avangrid to do is to request the Barnstable Conservation Commission to move the Park City Wind agenda item to one of its meetings in late July or August," he said.

What's the Conservation Commission reviewing?

Because the state's Wetlands Protection Act prohibits removal, dredging, filling, or altering of wetlands without a permit, whenever a developer proposes work in these areas, they must submit a notice of intent and permit application outlining their plans and how they intend to protect the wetlands.

Avangrid Vice President of Development for Offshore Wind Ken Kimmell explained during the July 6 open house that projects within wetlands, or within 100 feet of them, are subject to this review under the state regulations, as well as any town regulations.

"The landing under the beach and some aspects along the road are either within wetlands or within the buffer zone," he said.

The board will consider the company's proposal to land its underwater cables at Craigville Beach. From there the cables would pass underneath the west end of the beach, and then under the Centerville River by way of 2 Short Beach Road. Park City Wind LLC completed purchase of that property on June 28, for $430,000, according to town assessing records.

The cables would be routed underground about four miles to a proposed substation on Shootflying Hill Road, then nearly a mile to the existing Eversource substation on Oak Street in West Barnstable — upgrades are planned there "to facilitate the project's interconnection into the ISO-NE electrical grid."

Johnson said the company is committed to leaving the on-shore route "better than we found it," and has agreed to fund a "significant portion" of a town-led Main Street Centerville streetscape improvement project.

The company anticipates federal permitting to advance during the first quarter of 2024, with hopes to begin operating by the end of 2027.

Avangrid Renewables is also a co-owner of the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm south of the Islands. That project, currently under construction, lands cables at Covell Beach and will link to a substation in Hyannis, to provide electricity for areas of Massachusetts.

How to participate in the hearing

To participate in the July 11 hearing by Zoom, go to https://townofbarnstable-us.zoom.us/j/89198255413

Real-time public comments can be given through Zoom or by phone. The meeting ID is 891 9825 5413. The toll-free number is 888-475-4499.

To view the board's agenda, visit www.town.barnstable.ma.us

Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world. Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on Twitter @HMcCarron_CCT

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Offshore wind farm to unveil plan to protect wetlands in Centerville