If they hadn't have them shipped to NJ, they they wouldn't have to be paying storage.
Maybe it would be cheaper for them if they shipped them back. :o)

This story is designed to create sympathy for the BSRA and also put pressure on the towns and county to issue transportation permits. The BSRA is desperate to truck their turbine into Union Beach before the outcome of the appeals case is known, which may not be until the spring. They are getting scared, because they know they may very well lose the case. If they succeed in delivering the turbine, they will beg the courts not to order them to remove it as it would be a financial hardship. They don't give a hoot about the hardship that the towns will incur from the trucking in...and then possibly trucking out. The turbine is in 7 parts and the loads will be way-oversized and weigh up to 84 tons each...and that does not include the extra-tall cranes needed to assemble the 386' monstrosity. What's missing from this story is concern for the towns and county and their roads and infrastructure, which will be at considerable risk...and also concern for the people of the Union Beach area who will suffer lower property values, noise, health issues and the loss of its view shed. Plus, the BSRA has grossly misrepresented the size of this thing in its series of photo mockups on its website. Just go to the Links page on www.noturbine.com to see the photo comparison and you'll get a good idea of the impact this will have on Union Beach and its neighboring towns. At 1,080 feet from the start of a densely populated neighborhood, this turbine would be irresponsibly sited way to close.

This sentence is incorrect: "The agency is installing a wind turbine to offset its energy costs, but faces opposition from Union Beach elected officials and local residents." After careful consideration and presentations to two governing bodies by the BSRA, The Monmouth County Freeholders, Union Beach, Hazlet, Matawan, Holmdel and Keyport all passed resolutions opposing the BSRA's wind turbine. I'm sick of hearing that's it's just Union Beach that objects. Plus, the figures on the claimed savings keep getting downgraded. They will amount to about $8 a year per ratepayer if the turbine lives up to its claims, which it won't.

An interesting sidelight to this story is the claim on Conti's website (http://www.conticorp.com/project/wind_turbine_generator) that "The WTG construction, erection, and installation was a massive undertaking, and only the second utility scale wind turbine project to be constructed in New Jersey." The machine is off in storage somewhere and the contractor is claiming it is already built. Wow. Does anyone smell something fishy going on here?

I guess Fischer doesn't respect the right of the county and the Monmouth towns that BSRA serves to determine how to best protect their own roads and infrastructure. The heaviest load will be 84 tons and way-oversized. The towns rightfully don't want to find themselves having to sue BSRA for damages and then having to settle for less based on wear and tear of storm drain lines and the like. They also don't want businesses to sue their towns for business interruption expenses caused by transport and then repairs if needed. Mr. Fischer's whining demonstrates his disrespect: "Those conditions now have created these costs that are a change order to the original contract because it was not anticipated at the beginning that we would have to video-inspect the sewer pipes that are being crossed over, because these trucks came all the way from Iowa, Texas, and Florida and none of those sewer pipes were ever inspected.” The arrogance of the BSRA!!! The BSRA commissioners should be fired and/or the BSRA dissolved for the really lousy decisions they've made.

Awww to bad the BSRA is to blame why ship something when you are not able to use it. These BSRA people that planned this are to blame and they should pay for it out of their salary, not us the taxpayers. There should be a law against this we have laws for everthing else why not this kind of robbery. This is why our goverments debt is out of control soon we will belong to China. I am sure that is were this 400ft monster is made Great Job as always BSRA

First of all Mr. Fischer, major highways can handle 84 ton loads, and truckers pay for their overweight loads to cover the costs of road wear & tear. The problems arise on local roads. And if the sewers and storm drains weren't scoped on the local roads along the long trek to Newark, those towns will never know if the crack in their infrastructure that causes that water main to break three years from now was caused by the turbine parts transport. But more than that, Fischer admits here that the sewage authority failed to anticipate a lot in their plan. A class action ratepayer lawsuit to reclaim this $268K and more is not out of the question. The BRSA never should have allowed The Conti Group to truck the turbine to Newark until the outcome of the Appeals case was determined and, obviously, only if they won. The expense overrides evolve from the BRSA's mistakes.

Going back to the beginning to what I read in the press, the term "Shovel Ready" meant that you had all your licenses, permits, funding, et al in place and if that were so you could qualify for ARRA funds. Well, the BRSA used smoke and mirrors to get their hands on those taxpayer dollars in that the BRSA had not completed their one year bird studies, did not have a required soil disturbance permit, did not have properly zoned land to operate the turbine over, and last, but maybe not least, they now don't have local road use permits to move the turbine to its site. I smell Constructive Fraud, if not outright fraud in their obtaining the ARRA funds, and believe that the DEP was complicit in this action. You saw the comment about the entry on the Conti website. Think back, Conti was given the contract for constructing the pedestal base, even though there were to other companies that bid lower than Conti. The Director stated publically that the other two could not complete the work in what the BRSA decided was a "timely manner". The Turbine is now more then a year behind schedule. So, was it a bad business decision, or more likely a perfectly "legal" excuse to give Conti the contract that wasted that rate payer monies? It should be noted that Hazlet Twp infrastructure is underneath that part of Rte 36 that is going to be used. What about surveying that to protect Hazlet Taxpayers? I believe the BRSA and Conti are purposely ignoring this issue.

There is more than $286,000 dollars involved here & the responsibility for that rests on the shoulders of the BRSA and its redicously founded IWT project. There is still significant ARRA funds in limbo that will only be dispersed upon completion of the project, & all BRSA legal costs will be borne by the rate payers, as will the costs of the DeSanti prior lobbying/consultant work, and his curent PR work. Who do you think is writing up all the "planted" articles in the APP & the "PATCHES", as well as the last PR mailing to Postal Patrons in U.B.? During the oral portion of the court hearing in Freehold on 3 April BRSA's counsel told the court if there was not a timely ruling, that supported the BRSA, funding would be lost for the Project at the end of Aug or Sept. The Judge herself alluded to this issue when she opened the oral arguments by saying that she did not want to forego the rate payers access to those funds & directed her court ruling on the issue be accomplished by the end of April. It is now 15 Dec, at least two & one half months later, the project has not been completed but access to any funding has NOT been lost. Shades of the DeSanti e mail to Ed in the Gov's Office crying about the DEP needing to "Fast Track" (short change the Public) the project in order to appear to be"shovel ready" & qualified for ARRA funding.The BRSA's role in DEP "Revised" sewer plan for Holmdel is,beyond a reasonable doubt a "quid pro quo" for the DEP complicity in the BRSA IWT project.

What a bunch of dummy spectulaters, No facts just guesses!!

Just another fund-sucking perk for political insiders and their cronies at tax payer expense. BRSA is consistant in their arrogance and stupidity. They clearly want to be served instead of serving the public. Don't just fire the commisioners, fire the professionals also. State agencies are also complicit in usurping home rule

Tony: Very well said, ALL state and local government jobs run over, becaucse of G--- We the people let it happen. People MUST learn to Vote out incumbents , they ALL have connections for pay offs , time to change. but idot voters keep thinking vote PARTY LINES.