At the Oct. 7 Town Council meeting, all four councilors approved an ordinance amendment that allows residents to erect wind turbines on their property.

The approval came after hearing from more than a dozen residents who weighed in on the subject, both in favor of and opposed to wind turbines.

Tim McDuffey said he moved to Edgewood seven years ago because he and his wife loved the views and that he feared losing those when wind turbines are allowed.

"At first, one, two, three towers, that won't effect the landscape much at all," he said.

With the possibility of government subsidies for alternative energy, there could be a far greater number of turbines, he said, adding that there is a proper place for wind energy.

"That proper place is not in my back yard, not in my residential area," he said. "Nothing would give my wife and I a better reason to leave (Edgewood)."

Kenneth Brennan, who works in the wind turbine industry, said that, contrary to some reports that there is insufficient wind for turbines to be effective in Edgewood, he moved into the area because there is wind available for harnessing in Edgewood. He said he feels people should have the right to put up a wind turbine on their property.

"To go and deny every resident … would go against everything I fought for in the military," he said.

By contrast to those who had relocated to Edgewood, Councilor Brad Hill gave his perspective.

"I didn't move from a big city to the town of Edgewood, I moved from my mother's womb to the town of Edgewood," he said. "I had a windmill outside my back door when I was an infant."

All four councilors voted in favor of the amendment, which includes restrictions on how tall a turbine can be, in relation to the property.

Turbines must be set back from all property lines by 1.1 times the height of the turbine. That means a one-acre square lot could have a nearly 95 foot tall tower, if the tower was located in the exact center of the lot. The maximum height for a tower is 170 feet.

The council also discussed how to get water service to land where a regional animal shelter is planned and for the playing fields which are under construction on Section 16. One of the options discussed was running a line from Venus Road south along N.M. 344, but there was no decision made.

The councilors also discussed the possibility of running afoul of a Public Regulation Commission case involving two water companies in the area — Thunder Mountain Water Co. and New Mexico American Water Co. — which are having a territorial dispute over which company should serve areas of Edgewood. Councilors requested additional information in the matter before making a decision.

The town also appears to be solving part of an issue with its boundaries, what is known as checkerboard annexation.

A hearing with the municipal boundary commission to discuss a possible infill annexation — also known as hostile annexation because the property owners may be annexed into the town without their consent — has been for Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. in the Edgewood Community Center, according to Karen Mahalick, who runs the town's planning department.