Cape Vincent- Town Supervisor Tom Rienbeck said it was a dog and pony show.
The Cape Vincent Planning Board held a public on BP Alternative Energy’s Cape Vincent Wind Farm DEIS report on Jan. 26. While some speakers addressed the planning board with their concerns over the document, Councilman Donald Mason said that he had many complaints from people over the way it was organized.
“People were giving their three minutes to friends or other speakers. The gentlemen from Lowville didn’t say anything about the DEIS. He only talked about his problems. A lot of people didn’t talk about the DEIS and I think that should be addressed if they do this again, “he said. The board felt
that the public hearing was supposed to be specifically about the DEIS and not personal feelings about the wind project itself. Beth White, a resident of Cape Vincent, said that speakers should have only addressed the planning board and not have been allowed to grandstand. “A microphone or speaker system should’ve been set up in the recreation center if they couldn’t be heard, “she said.
Mrs. White was upset that she felt people were able to take over the meeting with comments not pertaining to the DEIS discussion. “You get three minutes to address the board and when those are up you go to the end of the line and wait to go through again.” She added. Supervisor Rienbeck said that the chair of the planning board, Richard Edsall, would likely have intervened in the process if he had not felt threatened by the people who felt he had a conflict of interest when it came to wind farm development. “He felt that he should abstain and he just accepted the process, but I think other members of the planning board should have said lets tighten up here, “he said. The board felt that town attorney Mark Gebo did the best he could to monitor the event, but felt that the boards, town and planning, should have given him some guidance to assist in the hearing’s proceedings.
Councilman Marty Mason said that overall a microphone system should be set up in the recreation center to avoid future issues. The forced air system in the center was loud and conveniently used as an example for noise levels. “Its 14 decibels, by the way, “he joked.
Barbara Steinhouse, resident of Cape Vincent, asked the board about zoning laws Supervisor Rienbeck said would be revisited in 2008. She was curious as to what the board would be able to do if all the councilmen couldn’t vote.
“I’m not trying to stir anything up, but I just want to know what we’re looking at, “she said. With two of the two councilmen, Marty Mason and Joe Wood, accused of having conflicts of interests, Supervisor Rienbeck stated that while he didn’t have anything legal to back up his assumption, he thought that once someone accused of having a conflict of interest was re-elected to the same position, the conflict of interest was void. “Mind you I’m not one- hundred percent about that, but I speak for the board when I say that if we had not folded under the threats of lawsuits, we’d have zoning laws right now,” he said. The Cape Vincent Town Board has faced several challenges of late, including, the interest of the Jefferson County Board of Legislators. The county board is looking to become involved in community PILOT agreements so the county can receive some of the money that the host communities are being offered. Supervisor Rienbeck said that it was wrong and until the town board was satisfied with the offered PILOT agreements no wind farm would make through the planning board’s site plan review.
“The Jefferson County board is in it for the money. We’re in it for Cape Vincent,” he concluded.
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