S.T.A.R.T.

Last night (3/31)  we had two guests from Bliss, NY to talk to START about how their town dealt with the wind development.  Mr. Kushner, town of Bliss supervisor, emphasized that his town has greatly benefited financially from the deal they negotiated and encouraged the towns of Machias & Yorkshire to work with the IDA to get as large a portion of the PILOT program as possible.  He also discussed how there have been very few complaints about noise and TV disturbance.  These items are being addressed as the wind farm site plan requires.  He then addressed the issue of real estate values.  He brought with him factual information from the tax roles that proved Bliss property values have increased since the development of the wind farm. 

 

Tom Jacobs, land owner, has wind turbines on his property.  He discussed the construction process and while he said it is construction and at times messy, the developer reclaimed and restored his property in the manner they promised.

 

Both wanted to stress that towns need to take all of the information available, weigh the pros and cons of the project and make a decision that is best for the town.  They also made clear that there will always be vocal opponents and there isn’t much supporters can do to change their minds.  They indicated that less than 1% of their town is against the project and yet these people tend to be the most vocal. 

 

Finally, Mr. Kushner told the group that he felt that Horizon was a reputable wind company.  He felt confident that if Machias and Yorkshire were to invite Horizon to construct in their town, they would be pleased with the way they do business.  He said that Horizon would be foolish to conduct business in any other manner, as it would be the first project in Cattaraugus County, and other towns in the county would be looking to this project as a model.  He went on to state that Horizon would not want to mess things up and get a bad name in the wind industry throughout Western New York.

 

One member of the audience complemented Mr. Kushner’s knowledge and approach in handling this project.  The audience member asked if Mr. Kushner had talked to the Machias board.  Mr. Kushner said he does not talk to other towns unless asked.  He would be happy to address the town board’s questions and concerns.  He encouraged the members of START to talk with the town board about this.  Mr. Kushner accepts no compensation for his visits and does not represent anyone but himself and his town of Bliss.