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