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 In the News This Week -- Dec. 22, 2006 |
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 By JIM KEVLIN CHERRY VALLEY None of the 150 people who packed the bleachers in the old high school gym on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 14, knew for sure. Would the Cherry Valley town board adopt a “gold standard” wind-power ordinance that would halt Reunion Power’s 24-turbine East Hill project in its tracks? Or would the three men reject the ordinance, rebuff their own planning board, which they had directed to draft it, and open the way for Reunion Power, based in Manchester, Vt., but recently allied with the multi-national Edison Mission Group, to bulldoze the town’s minimalist site-plan review process and get the $50 million effort under way. No one, that is, except Fabian Bressett III, and retiring 33-year town board veteran who that night would be casting his final vote before departing for Myrtle Beach, and Jim Johnson, a freshman elected for the first time in November 2005. Supervisor Tom Garretson, the third vote, had made it clear he supported enacting the toughest turbine regulations in New York State, and said later he anticipated the other two would go along. But no one was sure. “Sincerely, I did not know how he was going to vote,” Bressett’s wife, Carol, said later in an interview at their Church Street home. “We talked about it 110 times, but I didn’t know how he was going to vote when he went up there.” Over her husband’s decades in public life, Carol had attended public hearings and other town events, but never an actual town board meeting. “You don’t have to be there,” he told her on that culminating night. In the old gym, you could feel the tension – and see it in the faces of the people around you. The Reunion Power trio – Managing Partner Steve Eisenberg, Vice President David Little and Marion Trieste, whose Trieste & Associates, a public relations firm in Saratoga Springs – exuded a degree of confidence. Did they know something no one else did? Tom Fucillo, the Syracuse lawyer and the town’s special counsel in this matter, spent an hour reading the SEQR – State Environmental Quality Review – application on the proposed town law, punctuating each provision with a “not applicable.” Then, stone-faced, Bressett made the motion to approve the ordinance. Johnson seconded. Town Clerk Mary Beth Flint called the roll. “Mr. Bressett?” “No.” You could hear a collective intake of breath. “Mr. Johnson?” “Yes.” “Mr. Garretson?” “Yes.” The crowd leaped to its feet as one, wildly applauding. Tense expressions were replaced with elation. Not so in the corner of the Reunion Power trio, who appeared deflated and headed for the door. “Did you anticipate this outcome?” Trieste was asked. “No,” she said, her head down as she left the hall. Andy Minnig, leader of the anti-turbine Advocates for Cherry Valley, called the vote “very significant,” and said a few days later that he’s been getting calls from anti-turbine groups around the state, from Prattsburgh, from Delaware County and elsewhere, asking for a copy of Cherry Valley’s silver bullet. His co-chairman, Lynn Marsh, remains cautious: “We’re not out of the woods yet. But as far as industrial wind power plopping down anywhere in Cherry Valley, it’s just not going to happen.” In a later interview, Little said Reunion and Edison Mission officials have had several conversations on what to do next, but he wouldn’t comment whether a legal challenge might be in the offing. He did say, “The ordinance, as approved, would kill the project.” Bressett explained later: “The setbacks were too much. That’s why I voted how I did.” The law prohibits a wind turbine within 2,000 feet – more than a third of a mile – from the nearest house, and 1,500 feet from the nearest property line. The setbacks were designed to meet community concerns about noise, “shadow flicker,” blight, health issues and pollution. Added Carol, “When he has his mind made up, he has his mind made up.” The Bressetts said they plan to remain in Cherry Valley to enjoy Christmas with family, then head down to Myrtle Beach after the first of the year. But they’ll be back in the spring. Johnson said he voted for the ordinance, not because he opposes the Reunion plan, but because the town board directed its planning board to come up with an ordinance, using the town’s consulting engineer and outside law firm – “both of them were endorsed by Reunion” – to come up with the draft. “At that point,” Johnson said, “I felt it would take considerable public opinion opposed to it for me to vote to turn it down.” On the contrary, he said: The bulk of opinions the public voiced at numerous meetings and public hearings ran against the wind-turbine project. If there was a silent majority, as the developers claimed, Johnson never saw it, he said. Supervisor Garretson began 2006 telling turbine foes in a letter to the editor that, if they didn’t like how Cherry Valley was evolving, they could move back to where they came from. By the recent vote, Advocates for Cherry Valley perceived him as their champion. After the vote, he told the crowd, paradoxically, some thought: “I want it known that this board very much supports a wind-energy project and we will do anything we can do to get one in this town.” In an interview, Garretson acknowledged he began the year trying to satisfy everyone. His father-in-law, predecessor and mentor, former 38-year Supervisor Bob Loucks, strongly favored Reunion’s plans, as did Loucks’ daughter and Garretson’s wife, Amy. One of Tom’s three daughters, Bethany, a senior at SUNY Cobleskill, spoke in favor of wind power at a key public hearing on July 31. “At the end of the day,” Garretson said, “as much as you want to keep the whole town happy, you’ve just got to decide what’s the best thing and go with that and know some people aren’t going to be happy.” As far as family gatherings go, he said, everyone has just decided there are some topics better not discussed. While the outcome was unclear, the body language at the head table, set parallel to the bleachers about 10 feet away, indicated Garretson was the key player. To the left, Bressett and Johnson leaned toward the supervisor, and crossed their legs in his direction; so did Town Clerk Flint and Highway Superintendent Ed VanDerwerker, sitting to the right. Still, despite his signature giant-size gavel, Garretson said, “I don’t try to persuade anybody. Those guys” – Bressett and Johnson – “had to believe they were doing the right thing.” Nonetheless, “I anticipated both voting for it.” As for future wind plans, Garretson has expressed an interest in mini-turbines, perhaps two, that would be unobtrusive compared to the 400-foot behemoths Reunion had planned, one to supply power to the town, the other to allow the town to sell power back into the grid, generating revenues. Harkening back to his early career as a dairy farmer, he said it taught him not to waste anything and Cherry Valley’s winds, untapped, are wasted. Doing nothing would be “like Texas sitting on its oil or West Virginia sitting on its coal.”   CHERRY VALLEY When Mark D. Cornwell was 8 years old and growing up in Deposit, his Uncle Dave took him to work one Saturday at the state Catskill Fish Hatchery in Livingston Manor. That’s when young Mark, now an instructor in SUNY Cobleskill’s Fisheries & Wildlife Program, knew what he wanted to do for a living. “It wasn’t so much the hatchery,” said Cornwell, who is slated to fill Fabian Bressett III’s position on the Cherry Valley town board come January, “it was my uncle loving his job.” Mark’s own father was a diesel mechanic, and would come home from work exhausted at day’s end. By contrast, “my Uncle Dave would come home at the end of the day and say, ‘Hey, grab your pole and let’s go fishing.’” When asked why Bressett, Town Board Member Jim Johnson, and Supervisor Tom Garretson “selected” Cornwell, now 33, Garretson immediately answered, “electability,” since whoever was appointed will have to run for a full term next November. That said, the supervisor continued, Cornwell quickly emerged as the favorite from a full field of 15 applicants. “We had it narrowed down to Mark in just 20 minutes.” Cornwell was raised with two brothers and a sister, graduated from Deposit schools, then went on to SUNY Cobleskill, graduating in 1995. While there, he met his wife Christine in a conservation law class. The couple has been married for 10 years now. Christine ended up boarding her horse at Rabbit Goody’s Thistle Hill Farm on the Sharon Springs end of Cherry Valley. After a few years, a few acres went up for sale down the road; the Cornwells bought it and built a house there. During this period, Mark went on for his master’s in aquatic biology at SUNY Oneonta, studying with Dr. Bill Harmon of the Biological Experiment Station on Otsego Lake, where he helped develop the “very successful” walleye project. (The walleyes were introduced to rid the lake of alewives, which were disrupting the lake’s ecology.) Time went on, and the couple learned a couple of years ago that Reunion Power, which had been focused on Cape Wyckoff, across from Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School, had shifted to East Hill, where it was planning 24 of those 400-foot-tall wind turbines. “I heard they were going to be on the ridge,” said Cornwell. “My house was going to be very close. I saw a whole bunch of turbine signs going up.” That’s what started him going to town board and planning board meetings, which over the past year have routinely been attended by dozens, sometimes hundreds, of local citizens. A couple of times, Mark has had letters to the editors published where he argued against aspects of Reunion’s plans, but he describes himself as a “non-confrontational person. I really like to try to talk issues out. Hopefully, I can talk to folks on both sides of the issue.” He had a conversation with Garretson during the interview process, but he said the conversation was general. The supervisor was sounding him out, trying to figure out what kind of town board member he might be. Cornwell, whose appointment will be voted on when the two remaining members of the town board, Garretson and Johnson, hold the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, in the town barn, has “no specific plans for now, no agenda.” Job One, he said, will be to learn the duties of a town board member. By BREN MIOSEK FLY CREEK If you’re driving along County Route 26 in the Fly Creek Valley and spot a bison or two, don’t be surprised. According to several people living along Route 26, at least six bison calves escaped from a couple of holding pens as they were being delivered to the Fly Creek Friesians farm on Friday, Dec. 15. “Yes. It’s true, there are buffalo roaming in Fly Creek,” said Troy Brisard, who owns and operates Honey Joe Farm at Fly Creek Friesians with wife Cam and their four children, Emily, Sophia, Abigail and Mason. “We were moving them from their pen when they escaped out the side of the fence.” Troy explained that after the bison bolted from their holding pen he and Cam alerted neighbors bison were on the loose. “My husband and I went for a ride on a four-wheeler the other day, up behind our house, and spotted one on a property,” said neighbor Arleen Knapp. “It was a little one.” “We had three or four wander into our field last week,” said Bryan Pernat. “My neighbor Fred Knapp called to tell us that a bunch of buffalo were walking around on his property and that they were headed our way. “They’re not big at all,” he continued. “They stand about 4-feet tall, maybe shorter.” Following a few days of free-range feeding, four of the six gate-crushers were wrangled by the Brisards with the use of a tranquilizer gun. Two of the rogue bison, however, remained at large Wednesday, Dec. 20, as this edition went to press. “We borrowed a tranquilizer gun from a local veterinarian and that only worked so well,” said Brisard. “The problem with the buffalo is that they’re young and little. Whenever we get close to them, they take off. “The tranquilizer gun is only effective from 40 feet. It allowed us to capture four of them, but the other two scatter every time we get close.” Distressed over the loss of his heifers, Brisard has since retained the services of a local deer farmer who has a more powerful tranquilizer gun. “I can’t remember where he’s coming from, but I do know that he has a tranquilizer gun that’s effective from 100 feet away,” stated Brisard. “Tranquilizing them from further back will cause them less stress and that’s a good thing.” Brisard, anxious to start a buffalo breeding farm for organic meat, said he’s hoping to see the marksman with the high-power tranquilizer gun no later than Saturday. “We’re very interested in getting our buffalo back,” he said. “Starting a breeding farm for organic meat is something we’ve wanted to do. “We figured we’d start small with six until we knew what we were doing. So far the idea of an organic buffalo meat farm has generated a lot of local interest.” As of Wednesday, Dec. 20, one of the rogue buffalo was thought to be roaming somewhere near Route 26, near the Pernat’s farm. The last time anyone saw the other, it was headed for Buck Road. “They’re out there,” said Brisard. “So don’t be surprised if you see them.” If you do, call Brisard at 547-2730. By TOM HEITZ COOPERSTOWN Private homeowners may yet come up with 1,000 rooms for fans attending the 2007 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend next July – Cal Ripken Jr. is likely to be installed – but they will have to do so without the help of the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce. Citing concerns about liability, the chamber board excluded the general public from a program that had been widely publicized and featured on the chamber’s web site. The idea was for the chamber to help private homeowners connect with tenants and help them through the county bed-tax application process. Now, however, the chamber will only help chamber members. Chamber sources cited concerns about liability as a reason for the cancellation of a program that had been widely publicized and briefly featured on the chamber’s website as recently as last week. However, following a meeting of the organization’s board of directors, the Chamber decided to limit their involvement with rentals to members only. Chamber President Rick Gibbons said chamber members, but only members, can obtain an inspection of their properties, assistance with bed tax forms, and coverage under insurance policies carried by the organization. Non-members, he said, could not be covered by the chamber’s insurance policy, raising concerns the chamber would be opening itself to liability. Meanwhile, village officials remain concerned about the legality of a policy issued by the Zoning Board of Appeals in 1990 that sanctifies private rentals on specified weekends, including the Hall of Fame Induction weekend. Such rentals would not require a special permit but would be limited to no more than 15 nights annually. The 1990 directive surfaced at a Dec. 7 meeting of the village Planning Committee when Zoning Enforcement Officer Al Keck sought guidance on enforcing the policy. Keck informed the Planning Committee that village attorney John Lambert believes the 1990 policy can have no force of law as the ZBA lacks power to change the zoning law. After discussion, the Planning Committee referred the matter to the village Planning Board, an appointed body with authority to initiate changes.  COOPERSTOWN When Santa Claus hangs out his shingle in Pioneer Park each holiday season, he ends up offering more services then you might imagine. Certainly, children stop by, sit on his knee and tell him what they want for Christmas. But teen-agers who may have reached the Age of Skepticism stop by too. “They want to chat about what it means to be a teen-ager,” Santa said the other day in an exclusive interview with The Freeman’s Journal in the Otesaga Resort Hotel as his special season was winding down. They ask “what’s in it for them now.” The afternoon before, Janice Irwin of Latham, a mother of grown children who then went back to college for a master’s degree, was suffering from Christmas overload and just had to get out of the house. She hopped in the car and drove down to Cooperstown, discovered Santa’s Cottage at Pioneer and Main, and ended up in a lengthy conversation with the Jolly Old Elf. “It’s not all about gifts and lists,” said Santa. Some people come needing to talk. It can be like a confessional. And I listen.” Casting back to her childhood, she ended up sitting on Santa’s lap and whispering a couple of Christmas wishes into his ear. Santa estimates about “1,000 kids” came by the cottage this year. The most touching request came from a youngster with Down syndrome who resides at Pathfinder Village in Edmeston. “My father,” the boy requested. And he got his wish. “He’s going home for Christmas,” Santa said. One little lad, when asked if he’d been good, wouldn’t look at his parents. Casting down his eyes, he said, “I don’t want to talk about it.” As in recent years past, the boys mostly asked for the latest electronic games. The girls are more traditional, asking for dolls – American Girl dolls or Barbies, in particular – or clothes and accessories for dolls they already have. Anyone who’s had a chance to chat with Santa as he’s strolled around Cooperstown this season knows this isn’t just a job for him. “If you ever saw the look in a child’s eyes when he first sees you, you would understand,” he said. “Short of that, it’s hard for a mere mortal to understand.” Since riding up Main Street in a horse-drawn wagon, past adoring throngs, the day after Thanksgiving, Santa – and Mrs. Claus, his eternal companion – have devoted perhaps 100 hours to his season duties. About half of that has been sitting in his cottage listening to children young and old. The other half involves visiting schools and nursing homes. Santa wears a rough cotton shirt, a warm vest and an even warmer boiled wool cloak, heavy boots and his signature cap, not to mention his flowing white beard. Still, he can get very cold and very rarely gets through the season without coming down with something. A couple of years ago, it was miserable; he came down with the flu early in the season and couldn’t shake it. This year, given the warm weather, it was only the sniffles, and the Cooperstown village crew provided him with an electronic heating mat to keep his feet warm. This Sunday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, he’ll end his local duties, as he does every year, by visiting every patient at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, where the patients are always “so glad to see you.” “If they weren’t really sick they wouldn’t be there,” he reflected. “So it’s a sad time for them.” Then it’s dash away, dash away, dash away all. 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