Residents clash over Thresher Wind project as commissioners hear public comment

Public comment at the Aug. 3 Seward County meeting featured a debate over the proposed Thresher Wind project. John Handy, who said he helped develop the project, criticized a Gravis Marketing poll published locally for omitting methodology and suggested it may have been designed to change opinion rather than measure it. "None of what a legitimate poll discloses," Handy said of the article’s lacking details.

Ryan Martin, speaking later, said he opposed the wind farm on aesthetic and health grounds and questioned long-term economic benefit if federal subsidies decline. Martin said only a small number of permanent jobs would be created and argued the project could be "an eyesore" for the county. Commissioners listened during the public comment period and did not take immediate action on the project at this meeting.