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—L. Sam De Long, Cape Vincent, NY (Watertown Times 5/26/10)

Several months ago, a neighbor and I drove through the industrial wind complex in Lewis County. While doing so, I experienced a severe case of vertigo and my passenger became nauseous. This definitely caused me concern as the only other time this had happened was when I had driven through another turbine complex in the Southwest.

I was therefore drawn to the article in the Sunday edition of the Watertown Daily Times exclaiming “Hospital shows off balance center.” [See Hospital opens Balance Center next door to windfarm, Watertown, NY.] Was the need for a balance center at Lewis County General Hospital generated by the installation of industrial turbines spinning in all directions for miles while drivers were trying to navigate the roads? How many people from Lowville and surrounding areas had sought help for balance problems in other communities before the need was realized in Lewis County? Why had balance problems and vertigo become a priority in that region?

Obviously, there is a growing need to diagnose issues stemming from vertigo or the hospital would not have found it necessary in this economic environment to spend $100,000 to open a balance center. That led me to wonder if the developer had contributed these funds as part of a mitigation agreement. If not, why not? I also wondered if those suffering from balance and vertigo problems connected this life-altering condition with the probable cause.

The article left the readers with many unanswered questions that I am hoping will be forthcoming in the near future. Living in Cape Vincent and being threatened with driving in and around industrial turbines that will no doubt cause me to experience vertigo behind the wheel, I now fear for the health, safety and welfare of my neighbors and visitors to this area.

I am grateful for the appearance of this article as hopefully it will bring to the forefront another subject that should be inserted into any wind law passed in the Cape along with a demand for necessary mitigation to resolve vertigo and other balance health issues created by the installation of turbines.

Perhaps another benefit of the article is the ability of those living in and around the turbines in Lewis County to understand their balance conditions did not come out of nowhere, there is a reason and they are not alone.