FALMOUTH – Neil Andersen and Barry Funfar did not know each other before the town of Falmouth put up two industrial-sized wind turbines near each of their houses.
Since those two turbines began operating in 2009 and 2010, Andersen and Funfar have become good friends. So that’s a positive. They bonded over their mutual fight to stop the turbines from operating. And then they won the fight. They view that as a positive too.
But Andersen, 66, described himself as “very bitter” and Funfar, 72, said he is “an emotional basket case” after the almost decade-long fight against the town to stop the turbines from ever turning again in Falmouth.
Both Funfar and Andersen claimed, along with several others living near the 400-foot tall turbines, that they and their wives were suffering severe physical ailments whenever the turbines operated.
The idle Falmouth wind turbines at the town wastewater treatment plant. A third, privately owned turbine, still turning, can be seen in the background, at right. CAPE COD WAVE PHOTO
After many years, and several different lawsuits, they won – both in court and, finally, in Falmouth Town Hall. Falmouth Selectmen recently voted to never allow those two turbines to run again in Falmouth – not in their current locations or anywhere else in town.
A third privately-owned turbine of similar size continues to turn inside the Falmouth Industrial Park. It was unaffected by the legal action that led to Falmouth permanently shuttering the town’s two wind turbines.
But for Andersen and Funfar, the fight is over.
“I got a screen door for my front porch again,” said Andersen.
And Funfar, who had a manicured garden that became overgrown during the years the turbines operated, said he is starting almost over. “I love being out there,” he said. “But it’s different now. It’s kind of like starting anew.”
One of the turbines has not turned since 2015, and the second was ordered shut down in 2017. They may be dismantled and moved somewhere out of town.
The town was expected to make money on the turbines running. Instead, it lost a costly lawsuit and it must still pay for the turbines as well as to remove them – a cost estimated at more than $12 million.
By comparison, the town with $12 million in extra debt for turbines that will never run again has an annual budget of about a $130 million.
It started with the best of intentions. Green energy and all. But now it is over and no one is exactly happy.
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