SPRINGFIELD - The Springfield town planning board will likely adopt a measure proposing to the town board a moratorium on wind turbine development at tonight's meeting, chairman David Staley said Monday.

"Based on (the board's) enthusiasm to do something last time ... I would suspect that we will choose some option of moratorium and submit it to the town board," Staley said.

He said Advocates for Springfield president Harry Levine had submitted a presentation on three different options for enacting a moratorium and that after looking at the different options, Staley expects the board to adopt one.

"We'll look at those and see if we want to progress," he said.

The planning board does not have the authority to enact a moratorium, but can propose one to the town board, he said

"Ultimately it would be up to them to adopt it," Staley said.

The discussion about enacting a moratorium came up several meetings ago, during a discussion about developing a comprehensive plan for the town. Although there are no pending applications on the subject currently before the board, Staley said planning board members have seen how divisive the issue has been in surrounding communities like Cherry Valley, Stark and Warren and felt pro-activity on the issue would be wise.

"If we're prepared and we're not surprised maybe that won't happen to us.

We think we should just try to get ahead of things," Staley said.

In other business, Staley said the planning board is at risk of being undermined by the town board by not following land use procedures in regards to the town barn.

He said the town board must show some documentation proving its use is not being changed or must go through site plan review. The town board passed a motion at their meeting March 13 to finish the town barn by putting cement down and heat in the floor.

"So far I haven't seen any blueprints or documentation," Staley said. "If they could somehow demonstrate that there was a plan for a finished office and a bathroom, then of course they wouldn't have to go through site plan review. Without it, I think they need to go through site plan review."

Town supervisor Tom Armstrong said the barn - construction of which began in 1998 - predates the site plan review law - which was enacted in 2000 - and does not need to go through the planning board for approval.

"I've got the permit from the county codes office in my hand right now," Armstrong said Tuesday during a phone interview. "If anybody figures this was going to be a cold storage, with all this expense, something must be wrong." He said there is no way they would have put insulated, electronic overhead doors in at a cost of about $30,000 if this wasn't intended to replace the town barn currently serving as the main barn.

Staley said he didn't expect the planning board would find any problems with the town barn's construction, but said if the town doesn't go through site plan review or provide documentation showing they don't need to, it sets a dangerous precedent.

"If the town won't do it themselves, then how can the planning board possibly require anyone else to do it?" he said. "It's a minor issue, but fundamentally it's important."