I attended the Cohocton Planning Board meeting tonight and was able to have a conversation with Councilman Wayne Hunt after the meeting. If you remember in our open public meetings I recounted the story of an earlier conversation with Wayne as to why he was pushing for these turbines in our Town. He told me, “for the revenue”. I asked him, what revenue? He then told me that “well … we do not know”. Tonight when I talked to Wayne, the story has changed.
Let me break away for a minute and explain something. I have known Wayne Hunt for many years now because he works at the local hardware and he has been a lot of help to me and is very knowledgeable in his industry. As you all know, we have been “sparing” with each other over this issue of wind turbines. Tonight I was able to make him understand that my sparing with him has nothing personal attached to it. We disagree on this issue, but that is as far as it goes. I make no personal attacks against him as a person; it is his judgment relative to managing this wind turbine project I am calling into question.
Wayne was touting the supposed revenue that we would get from these turbines and now that UPC has released what we will actually get from the IDA brokered agreement on the P.I.L.O.T. funds, the truth is out. The income we stand to receive as a Town is far from what Wayne had hoped, and now his story has changed. Since the money from the P.I.L.O.T. funds is so minimal, he now is touting another story. He is still committed to these wind turbines, but it is now because “it is the right thing to do for energy”.
I am not going to deviate off into why this is such a ludicrous position to take. If you are interested in seeing if these turbines will make any significant contribution to solving our energy needs, please go to http://www.windaction.org/documents/1415 (download PDF file at bottom and read) and http://www.savewesternny.org/pdf/Schleede-BigMoney-20050414.pdf for detailed reports on the subject. The point of this letter is to alert this Town to a real problem we have. Now remember, this is not a personal attack against Wayne Hunt. This is a revelation of truth.
As a business man, I made the statement to Wayne Hunt that we as co-investors with this Wind Company ought to be entitled to see the Wind Company’s Business Plan, just as any other investor they have is entitle to. He looked at me puzzled and said, Bob, you can’t got to General Motors and ask for their business plan can you?” I said, Wayne, I am not a co-investor with General Motors. Wayne said, “how are we co-investors with the Wind Company?” Now, if you did not understand what is revealed by his last question to me, please go back and re-read his question. My heart fell inside me and a cold feeling of utter disbelief engulfed my entire soul.
This man, as good a person as he is, is so far out of touch with the realities of this entire issue, I now sincerely doubt his ability to effectively contribute to the leadership of this Town. If we are not co-investors with this Wind Company, then I ask you, what are we? We are investing our Town, all we have worked for, the sacred beauty of this area, our privacy, our small Town culture, and all for a cause that these wind turbines insignificantly affect … our need for electricity.
When one figures all the government subsidies (corporate welfare), the tax savings to the Wind Company created by the accelerated depreciation of these turbines, the revenue created for the Wind Company when they sell the electricity generated, the .02 per kilowatt hour kickback from N.Y.S.E.R.D.A., as best as I can tell, this Wind Company is in line to make over $25,000,000.00 per year off phase 1 and 2 of their program in our Town. Out of that they want to offer us 6/10ths of 1% of this revenue, or $160,000. L
I questioned Wayne on his understanding of the income stream for this Wind Company and folks, I am sad to tell you … this man has no clue! Remember, this is nothing personal. This man, as much as I like him as a person, is operating well outside of his league here. I challenge any Board member, either from the Town Board or the Planning Board, or any resident to ask Wayne his understanding of the income stream and how it breaks down in components of government subsidies, and what the true cost per kilowatt hour of this electricity really is. He cannot tell you! He is the self appointed leader of this parade and he is willfully void of understanding on the entire subject. This is nothing short of a corporate enrichment scam surpassing that of ENRON! It is not that he cannot see it, he does not want to!
Now I understand why all our effort to bring true facts to the surface about property value, the need to protect our Town from the liabilities these turbines bring with a well thought out plan and proper cash bonding, setbacks that do not devalue our properties nor restrict our future use of them, have all gone unnoticed by him. He has no interest in them. He is marching to the beat of a different drum as he leads his parade.
Wayne Hunt is committed to forcing these 400 ft. tall living abortions on our hills with insufficient safeguards and his mind is made up … the facts do not matter to him. He calls sound science and proven principles of good business practices including proper planning, “fools gold off the internet”. He will not debate me in public; he will not sit down in front of his constituents and defend his position. Wayne Hunt is an asset to the local hardware, but a liability to our Town in the position he is in. Wayne is the kind of man personally that I cannot help but like, but he does not belong in the position he is in as Councilman and he will never get my future vote for office. Cohocton ... we have a very serious problem with this man in office.
Sincerely,
Robert C. Strasburg II
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