June 28 letter to Cohocton Planning Board by Don Sandford

Dear Chairman Fox & members of T/ Cohocton Planning Board:

This past Monday on radio station 1480 AM, Hornell, NY commentator Keven Dorin had as his guest Mr. Larry Mitchell, a Texan, based now in Washington D.C. Mr. Mitchell is C.E.O. of The American Corn Growers Association, phone #202-835-0330, who was referred to Mr. Dorin by a Mr. Carroll Wade of Jasper, NY, 607-792-3662, a member of The National Farm Organization. The theme of the discussion had to do with needed investigation by town board members in formulating a more lucrative return for towns using grants & tax incentives from private enterprise. In years past, Mr. Wade and Mitchell were part of a national committee to come up with a plan for energy in the future. Ethenol from corn is one source which is know by most people and wind power another, but with a twist. Both are convinced that making deals with companies like UPC is not in the best interest of the town and that with more investigative work by boards such as yours you could find out the same information and do so much better. There are numerous grants and tax write-offs by international companies just waiting to be asked. An example is “John Deere Wind Power”, a contact being a Mr.Carl Hing Mertinins 515-267-4250, which Mr.Wade suggest the planning board contact. Mr. Wade, a farmer in Jasper, has been involved with this form of energy nationally from its inception in the United States, knows people involved from Minnesota to Illinois and beyond and during out 1-1/2 hour phone conversation was a sincere and sensible advocate with facts and figures to back up his positions and said if he could assist your board he would be glad to do so and feel free to contact him. It’s very important to him to see this done right everywhere!

My contention has been from the beginning, a much better business plan needs to be in place along with all the safe guards protecting the financial value of homes, property and quality of life issues of the people living near and effect by the turbines.

Perhaps this information will be useful to you. You have to understand that myself and others like me are trying to get a point across that there are many visions and ideas out there just waiting to be discovered by people such as the planning board and you took the job to do justice for everybody. Please give Mr.Wade a call and find out for yourself what this “wind pioneer” has to say. As the lead agency, take all time the time you need to do a difficult job, but in the end, done with an open mind reaching a decision you can all be justly proud of!

(As a side note ,Mr Wade is also invoved with the “Farm-Aid” program started by Willie Nelson and others,which will have their fund raising concert in Philadelphia, Penn. Area this fall.)
Sincerely,

Done E. Sandford