Each time it appears that a Prattsburgh Town Board Meeting couldn't possibly become more heated, more contentious, more raucous, more issue-partisan than last month's; the next Meeting trumps the last. If it weren't so tragic, it would be humorous to watch the spirited sparring - but the last thing the Tuesday, April 21, 2009 Prattsburgh Town Board Meeting was even remotely funny.
The tenor was set in the first 30 seconds of the Meeting. While attendees were greeted by not one, but 2, armed Steuben County Sherriff's Department officers, there was no 'wanding' this month. As has been the case now for every meeting of consequence for now the past several years, every of the ± 45 visitors seats was taken by shortly after 6:30 pm. The hallway and lobby was standing room only with at least another 25-30 people trying to hear; more people stood in the rain under umbrellas at the open side door. Others were standing on the porch, out in the driveway, and could be seen driving away because they couldn't get in.
Immediately after the Supervisor gaveled the Meeting to order shortly after 7 pm, Steve Kula introduced a motion, seconded by Chuck Shick, to move the session to the Fire Hall to accommodate the overflow crowd of those interested in both sides of the issues on the agenda. After a brief attempt by Harold McConnell to characterize moving the meeting as difficult "at this late hour" because he'd had no forewarning that the meeting would be "well attended", a 3-2 vote - Steve and Chuck voting Yes, Staci, Sharon and Harold voting No - ended any discussion of whether the meeting should be moved to another venue just because doing so would be in the best interests of the taxpayers.
The meeting was, as the saying goes, all down hill from there.
The battle lines are drawn.
Staci Bottoni and Sharon Quigley want whatever Ecogen wants. They want wind turbines now, wherever and however Ecogen wants them - taxpayers, scientific data and public opinion be damned. Who cares if the people in Europe and other parts of the world with many, many years more first-hand experience with wind power have dramatically rethought siting regulations and now understand that the low frequency noise generated by the turbines really does cause serious health problems? Who cares if almost all the initial impressions of those who live near the Cohocton sites are bad? Who cares if Hal Graham's windows rattle and he and his neighbors near the turbine can't sleep from the noise? Who cares if Ecogen's backer appears on the brink of bankruptcy?
Staci said she was not personally going to be impacted by turbine noise anyway because she could not afford the expensive land "up in the hills" where "those people" live and the turbines will be placed. Sharon said she paid "a lot of taxes" and that the Baptists should have drained their pipes.
Steve Kula and Chuck Shick are not yet sold. Steve Kula, a self-avowed wind power advocate who still supports the concept and feels a wind project might be good for Prattsburgh, is not willing to proceed without solid assurances that both participating and non-participating landowners would be equally protected. Charles Shick has been skeptical from the offset, cautiously optimistic but still skeptical - not opposed, but firm in his position that it would be inappropriate to proceed without more facts backed by solid scientific data.
And, so far at least, Harold's position has been to vote with the developers.
Time and again, the discussion became way beyond heated - hostile would be a more accurate description.
Steve Kula went after John Leydon and Harold like a rat terrier. John didn't like having his billing and whether it was appropriate for him to represent the Town, SCIDA and the developers questioned. Steve asked Harold for a copy of the letter he'd written apparently supporting the Ecogen project that some landowners have said the developers appear to be using to convince landowners to sign up. There seem to be questions about whether the developers have been billed by the Town for all the expenses and cost they had agreed to pay.
Steve and Chuck made a valiant effort to turn the Board's attention back to the need for developing a Wind Law. Staci and Sharon - after accepting Ecogen's invitation to visit a wind farm in Canada sporting the Siemens 2.3 MW turbine at the Town's expense - are convinced that Ecogen is prepared to respond positively to all the issues that came up last month - noise, safety & liability, and local jobs - and that a Prattsburgh Wind Law or a moratorium - is not necessary.
The Board's on-going position and planned next steps about what they intend to do about why Italy is getting a hugely 'better deal' was less clear.
The mystery stenographer was there again but was sporadic in what discussion topics she fully transcribed.
Many from the audience spoke when afforded the opportunity.
Many expressed outrage that the Board was so aloof and unencumbered by the interests of those who elected them that the idea of moving the meeting to a location where the at least 75-100 members of the public could all hear and participate was dismissed out-of-hand. Several questioned whether the Town should consider a new attorney with clearer allegiance.
Al Wordingham presented detailed siting, blade throw and noise data from other parts of the world that should be incorporated in a Wind Law.
John Servo spoke eloquently about some of the legal, liability and mechanics lien issues that rendered participating landowners unable to protect themselves or even sell their properties once a wind turbine had been erected on their land.
A licensed noise engineer, Rick James, paid for by John Servo, described in detail that - allowed to proceed as planned - the noise from turbines for Prattsburgh residents is going to be a serious issue and that considerable uncontroversial data proved that the low frequency noise from the turbines, in fact, presents health hazards.
Terry Drake repeated what he presented in a recent letter to the Naples Record - that although Ecogen had told him that the lease he'd signed with them would not stand in the way of his agreement to sell John Servo an easement across his land for a power line - today, several years after he and John had reached their agreement, Ecogen had successfully stopped them from moving ahead.
Other speakers said that Ecogen had trespassed on their property, used harassment to them get them to sign up, and told them things that did not appear to be true as an inducement to proceed.
Prattsburgh residents and landowners are missing a real spectacle - small town politics at their best and their worst - if they don't attend these meetings.
In truth, if this month's meeting was typical, you may not be able to get in unless you arrive early or call Harold McConnell in advance so he can anticipate how many people may come, but by coming and complaining if you cannot get in, you'll send a clear message that the Board represents you and you want to be able to watch while they do so.
Next month's meeting - 6:30 pm on Thursday, May 21st at either the Fire Hall or the School - will be a Public Meeting at which Ecogen will make a presentation and answer questions on their project.
Nancy Wahlstrom
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