Editor:

To all concerned and members of VFW Post #202 in Holley, I sincerely apologize for any of my inaccuracies and false statements to all those involved. I am sorry for all the problems I have caused with this mess.

Sincerely,

Earle F Skellen

Holley

(Editor’s note: Mr. Skellen submitted this letter as a requirement from the Murray Town Court after he claimed to have been a veteran of the Vietnam War. As a member of the Holley VFW, Skellen allegedly used his position of power to purchase a John Deere zero-turn lawn mower at a reduced price of $500, when the value of the mower at the time of purchase was more than $2,000, according to the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office. He has since paid $2,000 to the VFW to cover the difference in the mower’s value.)

Editor:

Today’s sheriffs are proud of the rich history of their office. It is one of the oldest institutions in America, dating back to Biblical times.

The modern office of sheriff in the United States descends from a one-thousand-year-old English tradition: a “shire-reeve” (shire-keeper) is the oldest appointment of the English crown.

Because county governments were typically the first established units of government in newly settled American territories, sheriffs were among the first elected public officials in an area and thus developed a leading role in local law enforcement.

Most sheriffs are elected every four years. It is this election process that makes the Office of Sheriff unique to all of law enforcement. These elections make most of the 3,085 county Sheriffs throughout the United States directly accountable to the people they serve.

We represent the highest order of law enforcement in Orleans County and answer directly to the people. The Orleans County Sheriff’s Department strives to do the following:

• Serve and Protect the citizens of Orleans County;

• Provide a safe and secure jail, providing necessary treatment to better prepare inmates to reenter society;

• Be visible and accessible;

• Maintain peace and order in Orleans County;

• Provide professional public safety dispatching;

• Properly receive and execute all legal and civil processes referred to the Office of the Sheriff;

• Deliver effective law enforcement services to all citizens of Orleans County;

• Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States of America.

This week is “Sheriff’s Week.” Activities planned include:

• Lunch with a Deputy Sheriff and students at all county schools;

• Yellow DOT program presentation at three Nutri-fair sites (Albion, Lyndonville and Kendall)

• Village and Town Park clean up detail by the inmates of the Orleans County Jail.

Randy Bower

Orleans County Sheriff

Editor:

I would like to thank the Shelby Town Board for their vision in proposing Local Law No. 2 for the Wildlife Refuge Protection Overlay District.

It is vitally important to protect the Iroquois Wildlife Refuge from inappropriate land uses in its vicinity. Far too many times we have seen reckless industrial “development” lay waste to natural habitat.

This has been done in the name of “rights of landowners”, “need for jobs”, “progress”, and other such smokescreens. What it boils down to is short-sighted greed, pure and simple.

Town government directly represents the people, and your common sense is very much appreciated.

I would also add the Wildlife Refuge belongs to everyone. Land ownership is not a right to be a poor steward. Let’s not allow human arrogance to harm this special remaining piece of our natural world.

Sincerely,

Al Capurso

Gaines

Editor:

You people in Shelby better wake up. You are getting agenda 21 shoved down your throat. Comprehensive plans are very, very bad. We tried to warn you back in 2002 when they were putting this together but no one would listen. It is a living document and put in the hands of tyrants is as dangerous as playing Russian Roulette with a semi-automatic.

How’s it working out for you now in 2016? You are way less free and you can’t do anything with your property without permission, NOTHING. The radical environmentalists love using it to control your land. You need to educate yourself on this UN mandate that is being imposed throughout the USA since George Bush Senior was president. Sadly our representatives are clueless (smart people behaving incredibly dumb) and gleefully in some cases shoving this down our throats especially when there’s grant money involved.

It has infected every county in the country and your Town Board is deeply infected with it. Your town is the worst next to Ridgeway when it comes to oppressive regulation. You land owners need to step up and run against every member of your board and change them. They have been there way to long especially your Supervisor. This is what happens when politicians make a career of the job.

They are proposing through zoning taking your land. Did you ever imagine this in the USA? Eventually it will be worthless other than being turned into a wilderness zone that you won’t even be able to set foot on. You all are partly to blame by letting these people do all the oppressive things they have done over the years and not stopping them because it didn’t affect you. When you hear them talk about “sustainability” and “Environmental and Social Justice” Red Flags must go up in your mind. It is agenda 21.

You need to ask them what is sustainable? Your farm is not, your airport is not, industry is not, golf courses and a long list of what makes our lives convenient are not. Basically the modern American way of life is not. Humanity is not. The environment before all things, first. You environmentalists need to wake up to because your quiet country way of life is also unsustainable just by the fact of you being there. Wake up and stop being a tool.

All the businesses and land uses that they want to regulate are just as much a part of a community as the grocery store, the tavern, the restaurant and hardware store. Somewhere along the line these businesses became a dirty word. We don’t want them around us but without those vital community businesses nothing would get built or the undesirable things we all can’t bear to have to look at would have nowhere to go. Sorry but a healthy community is made up of all those things even the ones we don’t like.

Paul Lauricella

Yates

Editor:

Above is the actual and estimated population chart broken down by age for Orleans County. The chart was completed by Cornell Program on Applied Demographics. This shrinking population is not good for the future of present school structure along with economic activity for the County.

A major reason for the projected drop is lack of employment opportunities and high taxation. Those that place barriers to potential projects which create employment and consolidation of government in the County should consider declining population and the negative ramifications that will lead to.

Edward Urbanik

Lyndonville

Editor:

You are reading it here first, the Apex Lighthouse Wind Project should and likely will be denied.

Facts regarding existing dismal MWH wind output, unreliability, need for reliable backup, the outrageous cost to construct a 200 MW project then collect and motivate the electrons to move easterly 400 miles will become so overwhelming that even in NYS common sense and indisputable facts will eventually prevail.

With NY total wind nameplate of approximately 1,750 MW available, why does wind contribute so little now? Adding more wind MW won’t improve the results. The 1,750 MW in NY is scattered all over the state. This fact makes it difficult to feed into the grid on a consistent basis.

A properly located 1,750MW power generating facility with a dependable fuel source positioned on a few acres would feed directly into the grid.

I believe a contributing factor to the downfall of the Apex wind project will be no suitable transmission path to NYC. Table shows anemic wind MW output obtained from NYISO.

Available           Actual Output                 Date /  Time

1750MW               26MW                 01/22/2016     10:30AM

1750MW           1141MW                 01/26/2016       7:00AM

1750MW             464MW                 03/27/2016       6:35AM

1750MW             117MW                 04/18/2016       6:17AM

1750MW             401MW                 05/31/2016       6:20AM

1750MW             855MW                 06/20/2016        2:15PM

1750MW               68MW                  08/11/2016       4:30PM      Possible NY Peak Load Day

1750MW             616MW                  08/12/2016       4:58PM      Possible NY Peak Load Day

1750MW               36MW                  08/27/2016       6:24AM

1750MW             118MW                  09/01/2016      12:20PM

1750MW                 9MW                  09/02/2016      11:20AM

1750MW                 0MW                  09/04/2016       4:55PM      Actual Zero MW

Adding more wind MW scattered around NYS without new and upgraded low and high voltage transmission lines will exacerbate transmission constraints and accelerate the demise of big wind.

Sincerely

Gregory G. Woodrich

Williamsville

Editor:

We who have lived in Orleans County all our lives too often take our environmental assets for granted. This reality is dramatized by the potential negative environmental impact of dozens of 600-foot high wind turbines in Yates and Barre and the prospect of a huge stone quarrying operation adjacent to the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

Such developments would constitute a real threat to wildlife habitat and diversity in Orleans County.

Imagine completing a form assessing the environmental impact of such projects. Could you honestly affirm that either type of project would not negatively impact Orleans County’s environment?

Now imagine you are an old guard member of the Orleans County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs. You actually have a good idea what we have here. The question is, “Will any threatened or endangered animals, or species of concern be adversely affected by the proposed project?”  Is it even remotely conceivable that anyone with extensive outdoor experience/knowledge could check the “No” box in either instance?

The mining operation clearly comes with considerable environmental risks. The proposed overlay district seems a reasonable way to address the issue from the local level.

While I am all for renewables, in my view, wind turbines are a poor fit for Orleans County. Due mainly to setback requirements, the siting realities for wind turbines inevitably mean that already threatened woodland habitat will be seriously diminished. There are places where access roads and clearings for the turbines themselves would actually add habitat diversity. Think about areas that are heavily forested. Orleans County generally is not one of those places.

Whether it is a stone quarrying operation adjacent to a wildlife refuge or one, or more, wind turbine projects, there will be no do-overs.

Sincerely yours,

Gary Kent

Albion

Editor:

As reported in numerous letters, Save Ontario Shores (SOS) sponsored a rally a few weeks ago against the Lighthouse Wind Project proposed by Apex. Hundreds of people stood in the pelting rain to loudly and publicly declare their opposition to this project and the loss of home rule that Article 10 has wrought upon us.

It is incredibly frustrating to have to continue this fight! The reasons we so strongly oppose this project have been well documented. The overwhelming and negative effects on our environment, wildlife, health, property values and quality of life far outweigh the minuscule and inconsistent power these monstrous industrial wind turbines would bring.

The opposition is tremendous and the fact is that anywhere else in the United States this project proposal would be long gone. But in New York State we have lost the basic democratic right to determine the future of our community.

As ordinary citizens, we have to continue to spend our time and money fighting this poorly conceived nightmare. Make no mistake, Apex has counted on us running out of will power and money. It is also unconscionable that our towns have to continue to spend time and taxpayer money fighting an out of state company that should have left as soon as it was clear the project was not wanted.

Unbelievably, Apex representative Dan Fitzgerald told a group of us at an informational meeting early in 2015 that Apex would not stay where they not wanted. Clearly, that was a lie.

It’s time for Apex to acknowledge their mistake; they chose an area that is too populated; an area rich in wildlife, natural scenic beauty, and tourism. A place too close to the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station and a place in the middle of one of the largest migratory bird flyways in North America.

It is time they listened to five different surveys, two town elections, and the resolutions passed by three counties, and two town boards.

It is time to heed the concerns expressed by the American Bird Conservancy, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Orleans County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, the Great Lakes Seaway Trail, the Hawk Migration Association of North America, the Niagara County Board of Health, the Genesee-Orleans Board of Health, the Rochester Birding Association, the Genesee Valley Audubon Society, the Federation of Monroe County Environmentalists, Save the River, the Nature Conservancy, Mercy Flight, The Niagara Chamber of Commerce, and the WNY delegation of the NYS Senate and House.

It is time to leave.

Donn Riggi

Lyndonville

Editor:

I moved to Somerset in 1992, and since then, I have seen a steady decline in the area. Our towns are literally “withering on the vine.”

Lighthouse Wind would bring needed economic development to our area for all residents, for our towns and schools and for the industry that has made this area rich in the past – our farming community.

Our school enrollments have continuously gone down. There is nothing here to draw new people or to keep our young people here. There are no new jobs, and our agricultural industry is being hit with a double whammy of rapidly declining milk prices and drought.

Yet, “those people,” our hardworking farmers, are being called out for looking at farming wind as “money grubbing.” Those farmers, who work from sun up to sun down making a decent living, are watching the anti-wind opposition call them out for looking to improve their own lives as well as the life of our community.

The Town of Somerset has had multiple opportunities for business to come in, and the town has failed. Somerset will never get 100% approval on a new business, but small numbers of opponents have blocked any kind of new business in the past. You know the list which includes Verizon, and one person was responsible for blocking that one.

Our area will continue to struggle if we do not plan ahead. Yes, wind power offers landowners individual payments, but it can also provide needed revenue for our towns and schools. These community benefits and blessings continue over the 30-year life of the project, and with them will come ancillary revenue to local businesses.

Lighthouse Wind will bolster our community, helping us not only survive, but thrive. I encourage readers to research the benefits more and the misinformation out there.

Lighthouse Wind has regular office hours, too, that you should take advantage of. Lighthouse Wind’s doors are open. Give them a visit.

I have found that my research into the wind farming uncovers many more positives than negatives. I encourage you to look further and do your research into the facts and the future of our area.

Floyd Koerner

Somerset

Editor:

Of all the discourse seen on the Town of Shelby’s proposal of new Local Law No. 2, a few questions haven’t been asked.

Did the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge ask the Town of Shelby or any other “group” for this kind of assistance/protection? There is a well-documented paper trail that shows the refuge worked closely with the DEC and Frontier Stone to identify issues of importance, which the DEC and Frontier addressed fully. That’s more than can be said for the Shelby Town Board. I suppose the refuge will be branded “negligent,” as was the DEC.

What was the criteria for the town’s 3,000-foot buffer in the overlay? Why not 5,000 feet? A mile? 5 miles? I can see by the map that the 3,000-foot mark just misses property owned by family members of the Town of Shelby’s Town Supervisor. A coincidence, I am sure.

What about the rest of the perimeter of the refuge? What does the town and those property owners have to say about those borders? I would think Shelby would have addressed this issue, seeing as they are so concerned about the refuge in its entirety. As it stands, it’s like locking the front door of a cattle barn that has three sides missing.

This is not so much an issue about the quarry – it’s a property rights issue now. If LL2 is passed by this Town Board, it will establish a precedent for a ban on new business and other activities in Shelby. If you allow that precedent to be set in one part of town, the board may not stop there.

Anything you may want to do, on land that you pay taxes on, could be prohibited by the Town Board in the future. The wildlife, Short-eared Owls and Northern Harriers don’t just stay in the refuge, they’re all over Shelby. Residents and property owners could be banned from building a shed, digging a garden, or blasting the bedrock from under your property because you want a pond for your animals.

LL2 is a very ill-conceived concept that the Town of Shelby has come up with in desperation. Frontier Stone has jumped through every hoop and flame set before them and come out clean. The DEC and the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge are satisfied. The STAMP project is satisfied.  In the end, someone will be happy, someone will be sad. That’s life.

If enacted, laws like LL2 are a Pandora’s box. Anything you may want to do on your property could be subject to Town Board scrutiny in the future, just because someone who doesn’t own YOUR PROPERTY doesn’t think it should be there.

Taxpayers who own 68% of the land in Shelby’s proposed overlay district made it clear they do not want local government officials using taxpayer money to impose restrictions on them. The rest of the town should be mindful of how those same officials may use YOUR money in the future to limit YOUR use and enjoyment of YOUR property.

Patty Olinger

Lyndonville

Editor:

It looks like I’m in the line of fire because I am running for the Gaines Republican Committee. Let me clarify my position.

I did not support our Gaines Town Supervisor. I still don’t.  The reason? She was a registered voter for 40+ years, but not a Republican. I believe Republicans should support real Republicans.

My concerns:

• A lifetime Democrat, Independent turned Republican to use our party line.

• Fires the Town Attorney, with more than 20 years of the Town of Gaines legal history and expertise in Town Law, without so much as a thank you, and prior to taking office. Why?

• First meeting, illegally eliminates the Planning Board. Why?

• Purchased a costly accounting program, which is not being utilized. Why?

• From day one, employees start resigning/leaving. Not one, but every single one, at the Town Hall (Highway men are union protected). Why?

• It is called bullying, when an employee who made a mistake, and immediately corrects it, gets taken to the State Police for questioning (who find nothing to arrest her for), and the Supervisor writes a letter to the Editor to disgrace her publicly. Then, to makes matters worse, uses taxpayer money to put this same letter in our water bills.  It becomes bullying. The Supervisor didn’t appear to want the “draft” of the audit finalized, making sure the end results were unknown to the public. (Do I think the Clerk made a mistake? Absolutely.  But a letter in my water bill?  Bullying.)

The Supervisor publicly stated at a Board meeting that prior Supervisors didn’t know what they were doing. With all due respect, Mr. Vagg, Mr. Harding, Mr. DeCarlo, Mr. Lattin…none of these gentlemen knew what they were doing? She demeaned them without a second thought.

Our Chairman, Guy Smith, doesn’t call meetings without nudging or calls last minute meetings, doesn’t hand out tickets for committeemen to sell, doesn’t sell tickets himself, and waits until someone tells him what to do next.

I’m not sure why he was faulting me, I gave him a proxy to support Sharon Harding for Clerk. He fails to mention I was the Chairman of the Republican Ball with last minute things to do, and not just “going” to the ball. I find it hard to believe Guy had the initiative to write a letter to the editor, far less two.

Voters should know what is really happening: it is a power play to take over the Republican Committee to ensure the Committee is stacked with cronies and “posse” members.

In the Supervisor’s quest to take over the Republican Committee, she personally passed the petition for Allchin; Sue Smith (Guy’s wife and Town Council member) passed a petition for Burke.

Clearly, town officials want to control the Republican Committee.  The interesting thing is, Republican Committee business is limited to advertising for open seats; interview all candidates interested in a position; decide the best candidate; and pass petitions to get them on a ballot, there is no such thing as a committee “controlling town officials” as Guy Smith says. If Guy is being controlled, it may be because he’s married to a Councilperson, not anything the committee does or can do.

I should mention Mr. Burke holds a town position. The Gaines Code of Ethics doesn’t allow him to run for a political committee position, but he’s running. I guess rules only apply to some people.

This Primary will cost Gaines taxpayers approx. $2,000 to $2,500. Where in the budget is this money appropriated? It appears our Supervisor is using taxpayer money to further her own agenda.

I have no hidden agenda…I have made it known that I may be interested in running for Town Clerk in the future. No hidden agenda here!

Susan Heard

Gaines Committeeperson, District 1

Editor:

With every event there are people behind the scenes that make it happen and the Metro 10 Race is no exception.

We are very fortunate to live in a community of forward-thinking government officials, civic-minded organizations and local businesses that seem to always be there to offer support.

The list of people and organizations from Orleans County to thank grew exponentially this year. It begins with the returning sponsors, including Oak Orchard Health, The Orleans Community Health Foundation, Bentley Brothers, The Town of Albion, 810 Meadworks and Watt Farms Country Market. (Again this year our visitors from Buffalo and Rochester loved that apple orchard).

This year we added Intergrow, Mark’s Pizzeria, Burris Cleaning RTS Orleans and Weed Man.

Our local government officials from the county town and village worked hours to make sure the event happened, and Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni and Code Officer Ron Vendetti went above and beyond the call of duty to avert a last-minute snag. Local law enforcement officials and the great people of COVA gave up their time to keep people safe.

Our water stops were covered by a local business, local girl scout troops, day care centers, and a local cross country team. We are already talking with an organization that has expressed interest in funding a larger prize pool for these great organizations that provided washcloths, cookies, popsicles, signs, but most importantly they provided support and encouragement.

There are so many people it is almost impossible to name them all, but in the end thanks to a huge community effort and a strategic alliance with the good people of Rock the Park, we were able to significantly lower our operating expenses which resulted in a lowering of our entry fee and positioned us to support our charitable partner this year, The Warrior House of WNY.

Jim Salmon returned as our celebrity host and promoted the event on his radio show. We can think of no better host than Jim, a guy that has done so much for this community.

Perhaps the moment that puts this event in perspective occurred when the first runner crossed the finish line and was handed his medal by a U.S Military Veteran, who used a cane so he could stand long enough to give it to the runner. One runner commented that receiving a medal from an injured Veteran felt strange, but that is what makes these brave men and women so worthy of our fundraising efforts. They are always willing to serve their nation and its people, and we should honor and serve them every moment that we can.

In 2014 the Metro 10 was simply an idea mulled over after a run and then mentioned in passing to a local news reporter. In 2015 it became a reality and there was no guarantee the event would survive another year but organizations and individuals came in and filled the void quickly and by most measures the 2016 race  was a huge success.

There is no question that we worked out some major kinks and finally have the foundation of an event that we can grow sensibly in Albion with the hope that someday it is a marquis event in Orleans County. Our all-volunteer 2016 committee faced a slew of personal tragedies and busy personal lives but in the end they all came together to make sure the event happened.

We will close with a simple thank you to all of you that have supported this event over the last two years. The feedback from participants from outside Orleans County has been stellar. Community events are made possible because of strong communities, we will never lose sight of that and we know that we have a strong community behind us as we begin to prepare for the 2017 event and beyond.

Sincerely,

Thom Jennings (race organizer) and the Metro 10 Development Team

Editor:

This letter is to clarify inaccurate information from some of the ladies on my committee and Joe Grube.

I am responsible for accepting the position of Chairman. I am not responsible for the mediocrity, lack of enthusiasm or mere participation by several of my committee members. This is their responsibility; they chose to be a committeeman.

Our job as committeemen is to seek out the best candidates in our community to hold public office.  Secondly, to pass their petitions throughout the town and then help them become elected. It is not our job to dictate to the town officials how to run their office.

I want everyone to know there seems to be a lot of half truths being written this past weekend.

Joe Grube claims he sent me a letter in January, when in fact he sent his letter to Ron and Lisa Mannella through Ron’s email. For the record I have this letter in my possession. Lisa gave me the letter at our Gaines committee meeting. Why did he send it to them?

My committee did not have any openings for committeemen in January, therefore we could not bring his name in front of a full committee meeting for a vote to accept Joe. A full committee is when committeemen from all ten towns get together to discuss GOP business.

The original cutoff date for interviews for town clerk was June 3, which was set by our county chairman. Sharon Harding’s interview was originally scheduled for June 2.

Sharon had a death in her family and had to leave town unexpectedly for a funeral.

I received an extension from our county chairman and rescheduled her interview meeting for June 4. I believe a committee needs to be compassionate, understanding and flexible when an interviewee has a death in their family.

It is the lack of participation from committee members which left us without a quorum. Everyone should know you cannot hold an official meeting without a quorum.  This is the real reason that Sharon had to carry her own petitions. Why did Lisa Mannella and Lorienda Smith choose not to show up to the interview at the last minute?

I do follow a code of ethics when we have interviews. In 2009 I was not chairman and my wife Sue wanted to interview for town council person. I originally was against the idea and reluctantly said OK. When she came in the room to interview I announced I was leaving the room and told my fellow committeemen to ask her whatever they wanted. They endorsed her.

In 2013, Sue was up for re-election and interviewed once more. During this interview I did stay in the room. I did not participate in her interview and I abstained  when it was time to vote.

I stayed in the room to keep the interview meeting in order and on schedule because we were interviewing several people that evening for different elected positions.

I need committeemen that will support our endorsed candidates. In the past I have had some female members support their democratic friends both verbally in public places and by placing their democrat signs in their yards.

It’s ironic how people do wrong things in their life and then blame the outcome of their behavior on others. A citizen of a community needs to be responsible for their own actions or their lack of action.

Now it’s time to come out and vote this Tuesday in order for your voice to be heard.

Thanks,

Guy D. Smith

Gaines Republican Chairman and Proud Resident

Editor:

This letter is in response to “The Great Wall of Shelby.”

I believe that Town of Shelby Local Law #2 can be amended to address almost all of the concerns brought to the public hearing.  There were some valid points brought up by those concerned about the proposed law. But I also believe the Town would not be putting this law before the public if they did not think they needed one additional safeguard to protect the Wildlife Refuge from such an inappropriate as the proposed 175-acre quarry.

Land adjacent to the Refuge is zoned agricultural/residential for a reason.  It’s not for industrial use. Local Law #2 is just another measure to help keep incompatible industries like the proposed stone quarry from damaging our Refuge. And if the town’s attorneys think that the current laws on the books are not enough to keep the quarry out, then I welcome any other measures they need to take to do the job that the DEC failed to do.

I don’t believe anyone is naive enough to believe that a 175-acre stone quarry will not harm the Refuge, but in case you still believe that because of the ALJ’s ruling that everything is fine, please understand, the DEC mining permits office is not responsible for protecting or conserving anything. They are in the business of issuing permits.

While it is true the DEC ALJ found our claims to be “without merit,” let me tell you what that means in terms of the SEQR review. It means that Frontier put up their experts, Terrestrial Environmental Specialists. TES is a company that profits from producing data so that any business, with enough money, succeeds in a SEQR review.

It doesn’t matter if their data and facts are correct or not. Because they are accepted as experts, their data is accepted by the DEC as fact. Any facts that dispute what they say are ignored. The DEC doesn’t allow a battle of experts. TES data trumps any other expert’s data. If they say the sky is green and our experts say it is blue, the DEC does not have to consider our facts as having merit.

For example, I’ve got a degree in Animal Science from Cornell University, and nearly 30 years’ worth of experience working with raptors. When I told the judge that an owls’ hearing is far greater than a human’s, so they cannot be compared to humans when determining effects of blasting noise, the judge’s response was, “How do you know that?” Given my credentials, he agreed that I could be considered an expert. Then he ignored my fact.

When I said that the study TES referenced, claiming that “Short Eared Owls frequent mines and quarries” was done on a quarry that was no longer in operation. It was a closed quarry. The DEC ignored it.

When I said the local DEC has done studies on Short Eared Owls and Northern Harriers in the area of the proposed quarry, that people come from all over the country to watch them in that area, the DEC ignored it.

When I said the Short Eared Owls and Northern Harriers in our area frequent the local farm fields, they ignored it. When I said that Bald Eagles fly more than ½ mile from their nests to forage for food, the DEC lawyer said, “Well the experts at TES said they wouldn’t.” I think you get the idea. Actual facts that disputed the TES statements in the DEIS were not considered as having merit.

Anyone who believes that the NYSDEC is a strict organization hasn’t been following this or any other SEQR review for the past 30 years. In fact, as long as the Is are dotted and the Ts are crossed, the DEC has been approving mining permits since its existence. Any land-use attorney can tell you, the SEQR review is won by the organization with the most money.

If the DEC lawyers and ALJ were truly interested in protecting the environment in the State of NY, they would have turned to their own Division of Wildlife in Albany, or better yet their own department here at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge to see what they thought of the idea of putting an industrial stone quarry next to one of the most sensitive habitats in the State of New York.

If the local DEC employees weren’t so afraid of the DEC lawyers, and in fear for their jobs, they would have been honest and told the facts about Short Eared Owls and Norther Harriers.

They know that the Short Eared Owls and Northern Harriers in Shelby often frequent the farm fields in and around the proposed quarry site. They have been studying the Short Eared Owls here for years because the birds are so endangered. Unfortunately, they weren’t consulted by their own department before making this decision.

Mr. Mahar would like you to believe that he will be working together in glorious harmony with the refuge staff, helping them to manage water on the refuge. The only problem with that is the Refuge staff never asked for his help.

In fact, they wouldn’t need his help if the quarry weren’t going to be disrupting the water in the Refuge.  The refuge staff have been managing the water, with its seasonal variations, for over 50 years with the help of Mother Nature.

It is not the Town of Shelby’s job to collaborate with a business to put forth a project with the potential to damage one of our greatest treasures. The Town Board was smart to wait out the process in the hopes that the SEQR review would do the job it was originally designed to do.

Unfortunately that didn’t happen, and now the Town is forced to use every measure in their power to fight the inevitable lawsuits that will be brought upon them by Frontier Stone when the Town denies the re-zoning and mining overlay district.

Shelby Local Law #2 is one such measure. And with some amendment, I welcome the law, and anything it can do to assist the Town Board in protecting our most valuable local natural resource.

I commend the Town Board for having the guts to stand up to this fight and give it everything they’ve got. They were smart to propose this law if it helps protect the town in future lawsuits and helps to protect the Refuge.

As President of Citizens for Shelby Preservation, we support you 100%.

Wendi Pencille

Shelby resident

President Citizens for Shelby Preservation

Editor:

Mr. Ron Vendetti holds himself in very high regard projecting himself to be an expert while he is focused on bullying residents instead of working with people to solve issues and attract businesses. He is holding back prosperity lost in his own delusions unable to distinguish fact from fiction. Like the Town of Murray board he is in denial no longer able to defend the dysfunction which has become the norm. People are waking up!

Refer to Mr. Vendetti’s letter posted on Sept. 7.

True or False: “I am a civil service employee not appointed or elected.”  FALSE, Mr. Ed Morgan recently appointed Ron Vendetti to the Republican Committee which is an elected position. So he is both appointed and elected.

True or False: “I have the respect of the professionals I work with.” FALSE, Mr. Vendetti was terminated from the Village of Albion some years ago basically for his unprofessional behavior. He was reinstated after an expensive lawsuit won on a technicality over a procedural issue when released. Being terminated is not a sign of respect!

True or False: “John Morriss (Murray Town Supervisor) never said the taxpayers were being overtaxed.” FALSE, Supervisors Report April 12, 2016: “We should be collecting a minimum of 10% of the bond payment plus additional money for basic operation and maintenance of the water districts.” According to the contracts signed by water district residents the water district tax should equal the principal and interest of the loan to install the infrastructure. Operations and maintenance is funded by the sale of water to end users. It’s the same game that was going on in the Town of Gaines and cleaned up by Mrs. Carol Culhane.

True or False: “Mr. Lofthouse has never held office where he has had to make a decision and live with the consequences. As chairman of the Conservative Party he’s elected exactly no candidates.” FALSE, as Conservative Party chairman we endorsed Randy Bower for Sheriff while the Republican Party divided itself arm wrestling over power grabs, funding and who to endorse. Perhaps you are unaware, but Mr. Bower is our elected Sheriff and endorsed by the Conservative Party.

Mr. Vendetti asks “Where in the NYS Health Code does it say where the backflow preventer has to be placed or what type has to be there?” Answer, NYS Sanitary Code, Part 5-1.31. Perhaps he should ask Water Superintendent Ed Morgan who approved Councilman Lloyd Christ’s non-compliant water connection. According to the Notice of Violation dated August 22, 2016 issued to the Town of Murray by the health department the “failure to protect the water distribution system without cross connection control immediately downstream of a hydrant. This practice is an egregious Category 1 Public Health Hazard due to the potential negative impact on the health of those utilizing public water.”

In light of the October 2015 Violations for E.Coli in your public water one should exhibit a little more concern for the citizens of Murray’s safe drinking water than you do for the health, safety, and welfare of grass cutting and attempting to control parking outside the Town’s jurisdiction on State Property.

Mr. Vendetti, you responded to serious issues in Murray in the same lax, deceptive manner the Town Board has. The cost of the primary election is money well spent and much less costly than the triple dip on health care that Mr. Morgan quietly enjoys. Quit being a bully, grow up and try to do some good for your community. It wouldn’t hurt to look in the mirror with or without the salt!

Al Lofthouse

Kendall