June 17, 2006 Letter to the Editor by Jim Lince

Dear Editor,

"Who’s going to live in the new Cohocton industrial park?"

Just who are the residents of the new Cohocton industrial park, also known as the UPC industrial wind project?

It won’t be the old farmers that have become the new industrial developers. Most live elsewhere or outside the impact zone. Others will be there just long enough to retire to Florida. There are a few green “YES to industrial development” signs up in the hills.

Most won’t, but a few have stood up in front of the town and proceeded to lecture those who are going to live in this mixed industrial park: “There’s no problem. We went to Fenner! We got cookies and milk. There’s no hazards, no noise, no shadow flicker. We stood under one, so it’s okay!” This is their expert judgment from a few hours of a pre-arranged “company tour” by UPC. The entire trip scripted to put the best foot forward.

Let’s not forget this is the industry that quotes a student and his flawed college term paper as the #1 proof that property values won’t go down!

Unfortunately, the quotes from unpaid people that actually do live close to these massive industrial power plants tell a much different story: Tug Hill, Myersdale, Lincoln, even Fenner. Page after page of complaints, forced buyouts, arbitrations and even abandonments.

But not to worry --- our neighbor developers/leaseholders won’t be living with them anyways.

They won’t be seeing, hearing or living with industrial wind turbines day and night over the next thirty years.

They will drive up to the new Cohocton industrial park, intermixed with residences, sit for an hour, and then return to their peaceful homes.

They will freely stroll around their own back yards and the only thing that will have changed is the balance of their bank account.

They will comfortably sit and look at the clear night sky, rather than the red strobe lights of the industrial complex.

They will sleep soundly in their beds, rather than being awakened by dozens of 400 foot industrial mechanical spinning giants as tall as the Xerox tower. The 747 wingspan sized blades slicing through the air --- the tips traveling almost 200 mph.

And the sad note is they are getting paid to perform this experiment on their neighbors.

Jim Lince

Cohocton, NY