UPDATE—September 17, 2003

Last night at the Prattsburgh Town Board meeting the Board voted unanimously to reject the moratorium asked for in the petition signed by over 500 people in Prattsburgh. Board member Dave Hall explained that it would be too costly for the windmill companies to do so.

At least there is no doubt where we stand and whose interests the present Board is serving. People who attended the Board meeting held two months ago may remember that at that time Harold McConnell laughingly said that a moratorium wasn’t necessary because it would be so long before the companies would be breaking ground. Now the Board is worried – about the wind companies’ finances.

It might be advisable for people who live in close proximity to the proposed windmills to consult a lawyer to ascertain your rights – a class action nuisance suit could be one way to go. In the meantime it is so important to keep contacting senators and assembly people to let them know that the interests of the majority of the taxpayers of Prattsburgh are not being served. In addition it would be good if a lot of people would contact the Finger Lakes Land Trust because the towers will almost certainly be visible from the Finger Lakes Trail.

A lot of people still do not know about the projects planned for Prattsburgh. I understand that at last night’s meeting Tom Hagner let it be known that his company is planning informational meetings for Avoca, Cohocton and Wheeler. This project seems to be larger than most people have realized. I’m sure that the wind companies have known from the beginning how large it would be, but they are only letting the general public in on the details and bit at a time. Maybe they think that is the best psychology – let us digest and resignedly accept one bit of news before letting us know the facts.