Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Michael Lessar and Marcia Sammons letter

January 15, 2007

Planning Board
c/o Sandra Riley
Town of Cohocton
15 South Main St.
Cohocton, NY 14826

Dear Planning Board:

This is to advise you of our unhappiness to hear you are pushing two public meetings together to support the two planned projects of the wind turbines. Why is it that the public is treated this way? From the get-go, this entire "project" has been kept under wraps which has drawn nothing by suspicion by many. In case you are questioning why people living outside North Cohocton would even care, it is because we live in the area. We did own a cabin on Pine Hill in North Cohocton which was ultimately sold over the summer of 2006. When we had put it up for sale, we had no idea that the wind turbines were a reality in that area; it was after things were well in motion with our accepting an offer that UPC sent a letter to us. We never read anything in the local papers, only to find out later the only information that was initially available was in a Hornell paper. Why a Hornell paper? Ultimately, we lost the sale, with the closing date set, and the potential buyers getting "cold feet" about the talk of the wind turbines, and pulling out two days before the closing. We ended up selling it about four months later, sustaining a loss of $25,000.

It seems like this entire "project" has been determined to be the best thing for the community by UPC as well as you, the Planning Board, and some of the residents of Cohocton. Never mind that many people are asking very thoughtful and intelligent questions regarding the environmental repercussions, concerns of what will happen to the landscape, how this will affect the future of real estate, tourism, and health issues. Why is it that communities such as Phelps and Perry have granted their residents moratoriums so that the projects can be investigated in an thorough and intelligent way? Why is that Cohocton refuses to offer a moratorium to its residents? I am sure you have heard of the saying, "something stinks in Denmark" - we think that quote could also be, "something stinks in Cohocton." We ask that you as the Planning Board of Cohocton wake up and do the right thing. Why are you people in such a hurry to push this forward?

Sincerely yours,


Michael G. Lessar
Marcia M. Sammons

cc: David Miller, Esq. - 11 North Main St., Naples, NY 14512
Richard Lippes, Esq. - 1260 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, NY 14209
Eliot Spitzer, Governor - State Capitol, Albany, NY 12224

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