Response to comment made by Jim Lince on Gene Drum's posting,
Support Local Law 2

Because I feel this message is important-I am publishing my response as a posting. Jane Towner

Jim—you never seem to get the point, is it that you just want confrontation? Is it your desire to be known ONLY for your military record for the rest of your life?To serve in our military is indeed commendable and honorable and without question you are admired for your service record.

My grandmother’s brother Edward Adams, lost his life in World War I, he is buried in Maple View Cemetery.

My father, Stuart Conrad and my step father Stan Strobel, and my uncle James Conrad (Chunky) all served in World War II –along with many more young people from Cohocton. As you put it, they were members of the “greatest generation.” My father suffered hearing loss for the remainder of his short life (he died at 59) from his service career. He was in the Army Air Corp; a branch that I believe no longer exists. When he, my uncle and my stepfather came home from the war they picked up their lives and worked among their community. They were members of local churches, American Legion, Lion’s Club, Masons, Fire Department etc. Back in those days the Fire Dept. also had a band that my relatives participated in.

My father along with Gene Baird from Wayland and several other men formed the DanWaCoA Babe Ruth baseball league for the boys of our area. They were and are highly regarded in our community. My father passed in 1977, but if you mention his name to anyone from the age of 55 up, a smile will come across their faces as they reminisce about him. Like my husband, he was a Rural Letter Carrier in his hometown of Cohocton If he were here now, I assure you he would be standing beside me working to bring the turbines to his town, of that I have NO doubt.

If you feel for one moment that I am making any comments disregarding the commitment and sacrifice of our military, you are sadly mistaken and misguided.

If you think that digging trenches for electric for the Sports Complex, working the gate or the concession stand, painting structures in the community, planting flowers, working on community projects etc. is taking on an elitist attitude, you need a life.

That is the type of activity members the YES! Group and other people in our community have done for years, without notice or the need to be commended for their efforts, just doing a job because there was a need and instead of talking about it, they did the work. Just take a look at the Pavilion that the Lions Club gave our town, there was no one being paid to work on that structure. The men could be seen working late into the night all summer long, giving up time with their families to complete a need. They are members of the community, not just land owners paying taxes.

The latest community project is the Veteran’s Memorial in Maple View Cemetery that is being developed by the Historical Society. Now, I would think that would be of interest to you. Why don’t you join the group and your community, we welcome you with open arms.

There has been nothing personal against anyone who opposes the Wind Project; it is just a difference of opinion. This is a free world, after all isn’t that why you served in the military, to protect our freedoms?

Jane Towner

Giving Thanks for our Good Town Leaders

We should all be very thankful and proud of the fact that we have a group of honest and hard-working people representing the citizens of Cohocton on our Town Board and Planning Board.

As we have said many times, we do not always agree with all of the decisions that are made by them, and many of them have very different positions on a lot of issues. But, the work that has been done by these fine men and women over the past three years to write a local windmill law that is very strict in protecting the environment and the people of Cohocton, while at the same time allowing for responsible wind power development is a great example of why these people deserve our respect for having the best interest of the people of Cohocton in mind while they serve our community.

They have taken a lot of abuse and have been threatened and harassed, but they have stood tall and we should all be thankful that we have people that we can trust to do what is right for our Town and not be intimidated by threats and harassment.

In a few short months we will have a wind farm in Cohocton that we can all be proud of. With all of the benefits that the wind farm will bring to our community we will have even more to be thankful for next Thanksgiving.

NYPIRG touts benefits of wind power: Environmental reform rep speaks at Dormann
By ROB PRICE - THE COURIER-ADVOCATE


BATH - A spokesperson for one of New York largest environmental reform organizations sang the praises of wind power before an audience of about 40 people at the Dormann Library Tuesday evening.

Jason K. Babbie of the New York Public Interest Research Group said the cost of wind-generated electricity has dropped enormously since the early 1980s, making it a viable alternative to electricity from fossil-fuel-driven plants.

At the same time, Babbie conceded, the issue of wind power remains controversial, with the impact on wildlife and property values requiring further study.

Babbie also urged members of the public involve themselves in the environmental review process that, under state law, must accompany any wind farm development.

Even as wind farms stir public opposition - a project proposed for the Town of Prattsburgh has been hit with a law suit - Babbie maintained wind power is an environmentally-friendly alternative to fossil fuel-generated electric power. Coal and natural gas-driven power plants continue to have negative environmental impacts, notably in the release of carbon dioxide, soot and mercury. The plants have also been blamed for acid rain, which has depleted marine life throughout the Adirondacks. Twenty-five percent of Adirondack lakes have no marine life due to the acidity of their waters, Babbie said.

Meanwhile, in spite of the steadily increasing cost of electricity, New York's consumption of electricity continues to grow annually, Babbie warned.

Wind power development at the same time continues to improve in efficiency and in the mitigation of negative environmental impacts, he continued. Wind turbine design has reduced the level of noise and improved the efficiency of newer wind turbines. Babbie also said wind turbines' impact on bird populations is diminishing, although he conceded several New York region bat species are at high risk from the spinning blades.

And the cost of wind power continues to drop. Once valued at 37 cents per kilowatt hour in 1982, wind power's per-kilowatt-hour cost is projected to drop to 4 cents by 2020.
Babbie was joined by two local officials in answering audience members' questions: James Grace of the Steuben County Cornell Cooperative Extension and Jennifer Fais of Southern Tier Central Regional Planning and Development Board. Fais indicated wind power companies' interest in Steuben County is growing. “We're trying to help communities get ready when they knock on your door,” she said.

The regulation of wind turbine site plans also remains largely a local matter, according to Grace. “It's up to your elected officials,” he said.Greg Heffner, director of the county Planning Department, added communities do not need zoning regulations to control the siting of wind turbines - many of which are 400 feet tall. Communities may insist on site plan reviews of “tall structures,” Heffner said.

Babbie noted economic development agencies may negotiate alternative property tax payments from wind companies, prompting one unidentified resident to complain the companies should be required to pay industrial property taxes.

James Sherron, executive director of the Steuben County Industrial Development Agency, said payments-in-lieu-of-taxes are a principal tool to attract wind farm companies to Steuben County.“If we charged them the full tax, they couldn't do it,” Sherron said.

To Formosa and Hunter and others who wish to post on this site, start offering more to your comments than jibes at named persons or comments asking questions in areas that are not known to anyone at this time, such as the PILOT funds. You are wasting everyone's time. Yours, ours and anyone who cares to read the blogs. You have your own blogs to play your games on, make your comments there.

From the beginning you have never been interested in dialog, only harassment. The display of character shown at the recent Public Hearing on the Dyckman Tower was a good example. Even when a company complies with local laws they, as well as our elected officials are held to ridicule by your group. The rudeness of CWW and the constant threat to sue is getting tiring. I have a hard time understanding people who "love" their town while trying to bankrupt it.

Jane Towner

A few months from now there will be somewhere around one hundred people working in Cohocton. They will be building the wind farm that will bring jobs and other economic benefits to our Town and Schools.

The Steuben County IDA, the Town Board and the Town Planning Board have been working for over three years to make sure that everything is done right and that all of the economic and environmental issues are handled in a professional manner. All of the boards and agencies have been open and fair, answering questions and letting people speak their minds at meeting after meeting – even when our elected officials have been harassed and disrespected.

Last week there was another public meeting at the school – Two more hours (after what must have been hundreds over the past year) of the last few anti-wind people in town complaining about how nobody lets them speak. They complained about not having their questions answered, when they have been answered ten-times over.

After all of that, what is their plan if they don’t get their way? To quote their leader, “litigate, litigate, litigate!!!” They will sue everyone they can and try to drag the town and the people of Cohocton down with legal fees defending against lawsuits that they must know are a total waste of time and money. They have already been bragging about costing the Town thousands of dollars in legal fees for a lawsuit that was thrown out.

Then they have the audacity to say, “Don’t blame me if I sue you.” Well we do. Sure, people have a right to sue anybody they want, but don’t pretend that you are doing something noble when all you are trying to do is waste people’s time and money because you can’t get your own way. It is no different than the lawsuit against McDonald’s by obese people claiming that McDonald’s made them fat. It might sound funny, or unimportant, but it makes prices go up for everybody so that somebody can take a shot at getting rich off of some ridiculous lawsuit.

We have all listened patiently while the anti-wind folks have spread their exaggerations, misstatements and conspiracy theories. Now if they really care at all about the future of our town (as they claim they do) they should stop threatening everybody.

YES! WIND POWER FOR COHOCTON

Support Local Law #2

Empire Wind paints a rosy picture for not having done any of the leg work of checking wind, environmental impact studies or never constructing a Wind Turbine.

They are throwing a lot of figures around-we must remember the paper lies still while the numbers are written. I’m not sure why a municipality would want to borrow $100,000,000 with interest from a billionaire politician that is going to reap the harvest at taxpayer expense.

A Pilot Payment is set in stone-a tax assessment can be taken to court year after year to be lowered.

Regardless of whether you support Empire Wind or UPC we need Local Law #2 to be the law for Cohocton. Remember, every Wind Turbine has to be permitted individually. This law is needed to secure this process.

Gene Drum, farmer

FARMER’S WIFE/ ONCE MORE!


We have NOT changed our feelings of supporting clean safe power. I’m sure I will be receiving another 8-10 page letter from anti-wind folks telling me how ignorant, selfish, misguided and greedy I am but I felt the need to address the windmill issue one more time. We are also awaiting our lawsuit from a Cohocton Wind Watch member for not shaking his hand and agreeing with Mr. Pittman and Mr. Golisano.

I would feel better about a company that had been in business for more than a few months and had also put windmills up before, along with doing all of the environmental studies, which are needed to pursue a project like this.

At a recent meeting, a CWW member felt he could change our minds and dangle more $$ in front of us to go with another company. Money is not the issue, security is.

Our Town Board and Supervisor need our support. The dollars that can come into our town, school system and county without a costly loan, can benefit all.

Let’s start here……

Support the Windmill Law II which has strict set backs, etc. prepared by our Planning Board. They have taken every consideration into preparing this document to protect all of us.

Do you think we would say OK to something that is going to harm our families or livestock? In most cases the windmills will be closest to our own dwellings.

Part of our decision when we first started this project and talked about leasing our land to windmill developers (there were companies before UPC-we have papers from Catamount Energy Corporation in early 2002) was that it would help the town with the monies received without risk of investment on their part-we too are taxpayers.

CWW (Cohocton Wind Watch) has apparently decided all the dangers etc. they have preached about for months must be OK as they now want Mr. Golisano plan to be put forth for the town.

I’m not against a municipal owned service that could possibly benefit all. My concern is passing the windmill law which we need regardless of who has the project, we want to honor our leases and since none of us have been approached for use of our land there must be other sights out there with great resources. The windmill law proposed to the board has the strictest guidelines for set backs etc. in the region. After the law passed each site must be permitted-the law is not blanket coverage….each site will be addressed individually.

My concern as a taxpayer regarding Mr. Golisano’s proposal (with nothing on paper) is that he is a great businessman and has offered to put the money up (give the taxpayer a loan with interest) of millions of dollars and then we may purchase them back (again more money from taxpayers).

He stated he is interested in this for tax purposes and he doesn’t give loans without interest. Are we ready to just put everything aside that has been done? Mr. Golisano’s project needs all of the same studies for the environment, etc. and grid access as UPC already has done.

One more point of question…

If this could be so good for our town, why hasn’t any other town agreed to sign up with Empire Wind.

I thank all of the Board Members for their time and patience. It has been a brutal attack on each of you—seems much worse for the ones that encourage wind power the most. You are wonderful community minded people who take your job seriously. It is time to move on to other business that needs your attention. Hopefully you wont’ have too many major lawsuits to try to finance (taxpayers expense again). Who knows what other issues can come up that you may need to prepare for such as the adult bookstore issues?

Respectfully,

Pat Drum, farmer’s wife


PS I’m remembering what my Mom taught me as I was growing up and I’m sure your mothers did too… “Sticks and Stones can break my bones but names will never hurt me—you need to feel sorry for the bullies in class because it is the only way they can get attention to get what they want!”