April 23, 2008
WCCS Board Members
Superintendent of Schools
Wayland-Cohocton Central School
2350 Rte 63 N
Wayland NY 14572
Dear Board Members and Mr. Wetherbee,
It is very regrettable that the Wayland-Cohocton Central School District has failed miserably in their duty to protect the tax payer from the fraud of the SCIDA PILOT tax exemption for the UPC Cohocton/Dutch Hill Project.
As you should be aware, both the Naples School District and the Prattsburgh School District have filed separate Article 78’s in NYS Supreme Court against SCIDA and the PILOT for the UPC Windfarm Prattsburgh Project. A copy of both complaints is being delivered to the WCCS Board for their review and further action.
What you may not know is that the Naples Central School District will be voting on filing a second Article 78 action against SCIDA, the Cohocton Planning Board (lead agency) and UPC Wind/CPP/CPP II. The PILOT for this UPC industrial wind turbine project includes tower 1, 2 and 3 on Pine Hill that are located within the Naples Central School District.
It is our understanding that the Wayland-Cohocton Central School is represented by legal counsel, David Lippitt. The property owners and taxpayers in Cohocton, Springwater and Wayland that fall within your district; find it outrageous that our own school board has refused to challenge this SCIDA PILOT in court. Mr. Lippitt should be directed to review the entire filings of Index No 99436 and 99445 at the Steuben Clerk’s Office in Bath.
Voting taxpayers demand that the Wayland-Cohocton file their own separate action against SCIDA, Town of Cohocton, Cohocton Planning Board and UPC.
Also the WCCS needs to join in with the NCSD as an intervener in their action.
This School Board has its own conflict of interest with several board members who may well be exposed to NYS investigations. Future litigation may well include the WCCS as a party to a coordinated effort to defraud taxpayers.
The WCCS needs to act and direct their attorney to follow the lead of Naples and Prattsburgh and file a law suit. Note a Town of Cohocton assessor has represented that a value of $1,000,000 per MW will be assessed, so that the Atlanta Hatch Hose Fire District can tax at full value.
This amount would translate into well over $100,000,000 per year in property value to the WCCS. The significance to the taxpayer should be self-evident.
Cordially,
James Hall
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