CONCORD – Public safety concerns began the first day of hearings yesterday for a proposed 99-megawatt wind park in Coos County.

On Friday, a wind turbine collapsed in Altona, N.Y., and sparked a fire in a deeply forested area. The mishap is being investigated by Noble Environmental Power, parent company to Granite Reliable Power, which is proposing a wind-generation project along high-elevation ridgelines in the Great North Woods.

Lisa Linowes of Lyman, representing the group Industrial Wind Action, asked if a fire at a remote tower at 2 a.m. on a Saturday in Coos County might be detected immediately, before it could spread.

"You better believe it," said Daniel Mandli, senior vice president for wind energy operation at Noble Environmental, noting a technician would be on the scene within 15 minutes.

The 33, 410-foot turbines from Dummer to Dixville Peak would be constantly monitored, he said.

Mandli said it is still too early to know exactly what happened in Altona, but that all of the company's 484 turbines from Texas to New York are monitored 24 hours a day from its Plattsburg, N.Y., headquarters.

In Altona, local firefighters were able to knock down the blaze, fueled by as much as 100 gallons of oil housed within the tower, which snapped in half.

Linowes asked if the company's technicians are equipped with fire suppression equipment. She was told they are not. She also pointed to the remoteness of the proposed North Country turbines and their distance from fire departments.

Local fire departments, she was told, have been in discussion with the project's developers.

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Linowes, whose group is focused on monitoring the development of wind projects across the country, also asked if there was a chance that the Cohos hiking trail might need to be relocated in areas where it comes within 1,300 feet of the turbines. Pip Decker, project manager, said there has been some discussion about relocating a small portion of the Cohos trail, particularly in the winter, when the potential exists for turbine blades to fling ice.

He also acknowledged that there are plans to post signs warning people to stay away from the towers themselves.

Mandli said the turbines proposed for Coos County can sense ice on their blades and shut down automatically.

Experts for the company, Matthew Borkowski and David Hesler, testified the noise that would be generated by the turbines would not be loud, even nearby.

"Fifty-five to 57 decibels is not particularly loud. You could certainly carry on a conversation above that," Hesler said.

The concept of "shadow flicker" was described. The turbines will have a paint that minimizes sun glint at these distances, Borkowski said.

Peter Roth, counsel for the public, addressed the visual impact of the project.

He asked what people on Lake Umbagog €" about 14 miles away €" might be able to see. The experts said a person might see a glint or a shine from the turbines themselves, but they would be coated with paint that minimizes such flickers.

Concerns over a decline in property values were also explored.

Noble executive Mark Lyons said there are no reports or analysis he has seen that make a correlation between lower property values and wind parks .

"The point is that there are zero (reports) that indicate wind park visibility has a negative impact on property values," he said.

Decommissioning the wind park and the schedule for removing towers was discussed. The plan is to leave the roads but remove the towers and the cement blocks within two feet below the ground.

The turbines would produce enough power to meet the electric needs of 40,000 homes a year, reducing the amount of fossil fuels consumed in New England. There are zero emissions from a wind park.

The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee resumes hearings today at 10 a.m., with discussion focused on the habitat and environmental impacts of the project. The committee will hear testimony again tomorrow and Friday. Next week, on Monday and Tuesday, financial aspects of the project will be aired. The hearings are held at the Public Utilities Commission 21 South Fruit St., Concord.

Hearings will conclude with closing arguments at 3 p.m. on March 19 in the Lancaster office of the Department of Resources and Economic Development. A final public hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. on March 23 in the Lancaster Town Hall.

A decision is due by April 6.