Barre

Barre approves two meteorological towers for Apex

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 June 2018 at 11:22 pm

Photo by Tom Rivers: Town Supervisor Sean Pogue, right, leads the Town Board meeting on Wednesday evening at the Barre Town Hall. Tom McCabe, left, is a Barre town councilman.

BARRE – The Town Board voted 4-0 on Wednesday to allow two meteorological towers for Apex Clean Energy, despite requests from some residents to take more time to consider the issue before voting.

Town Supervisor Sean Pogue joined Town Board members Richard Bennett, Tom McCabe and Lynn Hill in approving a special use permit for the two met towers. Town Councilman Larry Gaylard abstained due to a conflict of interest.

Pogue asked the board members how many were ready to vote at the meeting, and they were all affirmative, except for Gaylard who didn’t participate in the discussion.

“We got to make a decision,” Bennett said. “We’re not going to make everybody happy.”

The board held a public hearing on the met towers last week. Apex is seeking special use permits to have a 262.5-foot-high met tower at 5140 Angevine Rd., on land owned by Jon and James Peglow, and a 196-foot-high tower on Root Road, on land owned by Richard Miller.

Apex is the developer of the proposed Heritage Wind, which would include 47 much-larger wind turbines. Pogue, the town supervisor, said the turbine project would be dealt with through the Article 10 process, with a state siting board having the final say.

Pogue urged the residents who attended Wednesday’s meeting to focus on the met towers, and not the potential larger turbine project.

Resident MaryAnn Donnelly told the board she worries the met towers will lead to the wind towers. She asked the board to consider “environmental justice” with the turbines, how she said a few landowners with leases stand to gain far more the other town residents.

“Look at the bigger picture for people who will not profit from this but will see a loss of their property values,” she said.

Pogue said he wouldn’t support a project that favors only a few.

“As I’ve said before I want every taxpayer to benefit in the town,” Pogue said.

Apex has an existing met tower on Thorpe Road and wants the two additional towers to determine the wind strength and consistency, and discover other data that could be useful in possibly siting a project.

Kerri Richardson, president of Clear Skies Above Barre, asked the board to delay a vote on the met towers until an environmental impact study could be done, especially for the tower on Root Road which she said is in a sensitive area near wetlands, ponds and the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

Richardson said the met towers with their guy-wires have been destructive to birds, bats and other wildlife.

“I just ask that diligence be done,” she said.

Resident John Metzler said he was concerned that some Barre town officials with ties to Apex were not abstaining and being impartial as the company courts the town.

Metzler quoted the April 11 Town Board minutes where the board identified the following officials as “conflicted” with Apex: Larry Gaylord on the Town Board; Planning Board members Jean Peglow, Paul Gillette and Kirk Mathes; and Richard Miller on the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Those officials are not to vote on any applications from Apex, or lobby on behalf of the company, according to the minutes.

Metzler wanted the town to investigate whether those officials have abstained and refrained from lobbying to advance the Apex project.

“I am asking for a cooling-off period to determine conflicts of interest,” he said.

The Town Board should also consider if family members of the town officials stand to gain from the Apex project, Metzler said.

He asked the board members if they have conflicts of interest with Apex. McCabe said he was approached about signing a lease but did not. Hill doesn’t have enough land so he wasn’t considered. Bennett and Pogue both live near Pine Hill Airport in a buffer zone where there won’t be any turbines under consideration.

Bennett said he would have signed a lease if his property was out of the buffer zone. He said he supports the project for the town.

Mathes presented a letter from a local ATV club, signed by nine board members, stating their support for landowners’ rights to lease land to Apex.

That prompted Metzler to say Mathes should either be removed from the Planning Board or be fined for violating the town’s ethics code for officials. Mathes was identified as having a conflict of interest because he has a lease with Apex.

“I ask for your resignation,” Metzler told Mathes, who responded, “No.”

George McKenna asked the board to hold off on the met tower vote until a survey could be taken of the town, to get a sense if the town supports the Apex project.

“I don’t think there is a rush on,” McKenna said. “I think we should slow down because this is a lifetime decision.”

Pogue said a survey is being developed and should be available soon with results to be tabulated in late July.

The survey will likely be mailed to residents, and also be available on the town website, at the Hoag Library and the Barre Town Hall, Pogue said.

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Firefighters battle bale blaze in Barre

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 June 2018 at 12:33 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

BARRE – Firefighters have been working since about 11 a.m. to put on soybean bales that caught on fire at Kirk Mathes’ beef farm on Mathes Road.

Mathes was burning a pile of brush. The wind shifted this morning and a spark from the fire caught the bales of soybean on fire, said James Neal, Barre fire chief.

Barre firefighter Chris Flansburg directs water on the bales.

A public water line doesn’t go by the farm so tankers needed to be brought in for water to fight the fire.

Mathes uses the soybean bales for bedding. “Luckily this year we have a lot of it,” he said. “It will be a mess to clean up.”

Barre Fire Chief James Neal walks by some of the bales that are burning. He said the big piles of bales would have to be torn apart to make sure the fire is put out.

Firefighters wait for water to put on the fire. A pond tank was set up so firefighters could direct water on the fire.

A spark from this brush fire caused the bales to ignite.

A member of the farm watches the bales burn.

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Residents have mixed views on allowing met towers in Barre

Photos By Tom Rivers: Barre resident George McKenna urged the Town Board to delay a decision on two meteorological towers in Barre to see if a deal for revenue can be struck. McKenna said he has concerns about a proposed wind energy project for the town.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 June 2018 at 10:43 pm

Apex will pay $70K to have town, citizens’ group review preliminary scoping statement

BARRE – It was a packed town hall this evening with the Barre Town Board holding a public hearing about two proposed meteorological towers.

Apex Clean Energy, developer of the proposed Heritage Wind in Barre, wants to have a 262.5 foot high met tower at 5140 Angevine Rd., on land owned by Jon and James Peglow. Apex also wants a met tower that would be 196 feet high on Root Road, on land owned by Richard Miller.

Both towers would be temporary and sited in an residential/agricultural district. Apex last year constructed a met tower on Thorpe Road.

The towers provide important meteorological information, as well as data on wind strength and consistency.

“Let’s allow the met tower and see the data,” said resident Tom Hicks. “Maybe it’s data we all need to know.”

Tom Hicks, a Barre resident, urged the town to approve a special use permit for the met towers so the company, Apex Clean Energy, can determine the wind strength and consistency, and discover other data that could be useful in siting a project – or not siting one if the wind isn’t strong enough.

Iva McKenna, a member of the Clear Skies Above Barre citizens’ group, said Apex hasn’t shared any data from the first met tower. She said the company has been a divisive presence in town, securing leases when information about the project isn’t fully available to the community.

She didn’t blame residents for signing leases, when she said $15,000 to $25,000 is offered for each year.

She urged the Town Board to look out for the good of the entire town.

Her husband, George McKenna, also addressed the board. He said the town should be aware of the full scope of the proposed project, and Barre should be getting surveys of all residents to gauge their opinion.

He worries only a small percentage would benefit from the project to the detriment of many.

Town Supervisor Sean Pogue said the Town Board is considering a survey. If the project moves forward, Barre will negotiate a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) arrangement where Apex pays local governments.

McKenna said the Town of Arkwright received $30,000 from a wind developer for having a met tower go up. He said Barre should be paid as well.

Pogue said he wasn’t aware of any towns being paid for met towers. He wanted to check with Arkwright officials on that revenue.

The Town Board will meet again at 7 p.m. on June 13 to vote on whether the met towers will be given special use permits.

Apex wants to ultimately wants to construct a 200-megawatt project in Barre. The company has submitted a preliminary scoping statement for the project.

As part of the PSS, the company has to provide $350 for each proposed megawatt to have the project reviewed by the host municipality and other citizens’ groups.

A judge determined Barre would receive $40,000 in intervenor funds and Clear Skies Above Barre would have $30,000. That will allow the groups to hire environmental attorneys and experts to review the Apex submission.

Kerri Richardson, Clear Skies president, said the group will contract with an environmental law firm and other experts. Pogue said Barre will hire Alan Knauf, a Rochester attorney who specializes in environmental issues, and environmental scientists and engineers from LaBella Associates. Barre will meet with its team on July 18 to discuss how it will review the PSS.

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Pine Hill continues fly-in tradition at Barre

Posted 3 June 2018 at 3:29 pm

Photos by Ginny Kropf

BARRE – Skydiver Troy Fallon of Buffalo is silhouetted over the trees as he comes in for a landing Sunday at Pine Hill Airport today. Fallon has made 350 jumps.

Hundreds of people attended Pine Hill Airport ’s fly-in breakfast this morning. The semi-annual event started in 1979.

Karl and Susan Driesel, members of Barre Volunteer Fire Department, brought one of the department’s fire trucks to Pine Hill Airport ’s fly-in breakfast this morning.

Wendy Sanders of Barre, right, shows her grandchildren Michael McElwain, 6, and Paysen Sanders, 3, the Stearman biplane based at Pine Hill Airport. The plane is available for rides.

Alice Mathes, a member of the West Barre Methodist Church , sells baked good s at the fly-in breakfast. The church has had a baked goods booth at the annual fly-in breakfast every year for as long as Mathes can remember.

Ace Caldwell of Albion serves eggs to Dick Williams of Royalton at the fly-in breakfast. Caldwell has been cooking eggs for the airport’s fly-in breakfasts every June and September for nearly 40 years. He also cooks eggs every Sunday morning in the hangar for anyone who shows up. He figures he has cooked more than two million.

Pete Nesbitt, left, one of the original owners of Pine Hill Airport, cooks pancakes while new owner Tim Allen of Alden looks on.

John Keding of Albion cooks sausage at the fly-in breakfast.

Shelby Gray of Derby, a member of the Western New York Skydiving Club at Pine Hill Airport, volunteered for the dunk tank. The dunk tank was one of several new attractions at the airport designed to get kids interested in aviation.

Chance Wright of Rochester lands safely after a jump Sunday at Pine Hill Airport, during the fly-in breakfast. Wright, a member of the Western New York Skydiving Club, has 185 jumps to his credit.

Skydivers Chance Wright, left, and Troy Fallon give a high-five after their successful jump during the fly-in breakfast Sunday at Pine Hill Airport.

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Banners celebrate Barre’s 200th anniversary

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 May 2018 at 4:24 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers: New banners were installed about a week ago on Route 98 in the Barre Center hamlet to promote the town’s bicentennial.

Barre will celebrate its 200th anniversary from June 29 to July 1. There will be a Bicentennial Festival on June 29-30 at the Barre Town Park on Route 98. Friday hours will be from 2 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. There will be a parade on Saturday, June 30, starting at 10 a.m. The parade route will be from East Barre Road north to the Town Park. There will be games, dances, music and food both days. There will be fireworks on Saturday, June 30.

In addition the Town Hall,  Fire Hall, Barre Center Church, West Barre Church, Pine Hill School House and the Pine Hill Airport will also be open for tours. Barre Center Presbyterian Church will be hosting a chicken barbecue on June 30 starting at 4 p.m. Tickets are pre-sale only and are available at the Barre Deli and the Town Hall. West Barre Church will be hosting a quilt show.

This banner celebrates the town’s agricultural roots.

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Barre will dedicate new flagpole, monument for veterans on June 30

Staff Reports Posted 23 May 2018 at 8:24 am

BARRE — The Town of Barre will dedicate a new flagpole and monument for veterans at 9:30 a.m. on June 30 at the Barre Town Hall.

The family of the late Fred Daniels is donating the flagpole and plaque. The stone for the monument is being donated by Keeler Construction.

Mr. Daniels was 75 when he passed away on Oct. 22, 2014. He was a member of the Honor Guard in Orleans County for many years, and a member of the American Legion in Albion and the VFW. He also served on the Orleans County Joint Veterans Council.

Adrienne Daniels, wife of Fred Daniels, is Barre’s town historian. She welcomes the community and the Honor Guard to attend the dedication program. Don Allport, an Orleans County legislator, is Fred’s nephew. He will speak at the dedication.

A parade will follow the service. The Orleans Veterans Van Service will have vehicles available to transport veterans who want to be in the parade.

The dedication on June 30 is part of the town’s 200th anniversary celebration.

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Barre man, 26, has now battled cancer twice

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 May 2018 at 6:08 pm

Spaghetti dinner, basket raffle helps Nick Holler and his family

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Nick Holler, 26, pulls the winning ticket for the door prize during a benefit for him and his family today at the First Presbyterian Church in Albion.

Holler, 26, has battled cancer twice in the past three years. First he was diagnosed with testicular cancer two weeks before his wedding in August 2015. After surgery and chemotherapy, Holler didn’t have a recurrence until a mass was detected near his pelvis in November. That mass, a cancerous lymph node, was removed in February.

Nick Holler and his father-in-law Bob Welker of Le Roy sell tckets for the dinners and basket raffles. Holler is getting scans every three months and meeting with doctors at Indiana University, which specializes in testicular cancer.

Holler lives in Barre with his wife, Amber, and their two children, daughter Macayla, 6; and son Kaiden, 17 months.

Holler and Amber met when they both worked in food service at Batavia Downs. Amber now works for a bank and Holler is a line cook at Applebees in Batavia.

The fundraiser today will help with out-of-pocket medical costs and to help the family if Holler has to miss work due to treatment and medical appointments.

Jeff Holler, Nick’s dad, serves up a spaghetti dinner. The benefit lasts until 7 p.m. today.

In addition to the dinners, there are 80 baskets available for raffle. Nick said he appreciated the turnout from the community.

“I’m impressed with all of the donations and volunteers, and everyone who has stepped up to help us,” he said.

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Cub Scouts cross over and become Boy Scouts in West Barre

Staff Reports Posted 6 May 2018 at 8:54 pm

Photos courtesy of Jeff Andrews

WEST BARRE – Chief Akela (Ivan Barry) leads the Webelos 2 (a.k.a. Wookiee Patrol) in for the crossing over ceremony on April 23 at the West Barre United Methodist Church.

Scouts who crossed over include Sawyer Brigham, Matthew Mathis, Ethan Dunn and Dillon DiGiulio with Ivan Barry as Chief Akela. Members of their family are behind them.

Eli Pask applies a stripe of blue from the summer sky on their chin. The color blue represents the Spirit of Scouting. Scout spirit applies to how a Scout lives and conducts his “daily” life. He shows Scout spirit by being a role model to his peers, living by the Scout Oath and Law. He also brings out the best in others as a reflection of his own character and attitude in life.

Dominic DiGiulio changes the neckerchief of his younger brother Dillon. Now they are both Boy Scouts.

Scoutmaster for Troop 175 is Karl Driesel, left. Mike Schreiner and Pat Lamka are assistants. Cubmaster for Pack 175 is Mary Barry.

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Citizens’ group forms in Barre to oppose wind turbine project

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2018 at 12:06 pm

BARRE – A citizens’ group has formed to oppose to the proposed Heritage Wind project in Barre. Clear Skies Above Barre, Inc. will be meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Hoag Library in Albion.

“We are just trying to get all of the information out to the public and make sure the community is well informed,” said Kerri Richardson.

She is a member of the board of directors for the new group, which has been recognized by the state. Richardson said Clear Skies Above Barre will soon be picking officers for the group.

Clear Skies was able to extend the comment period until May 4 for the preliminary scoping statement with the state Department of Public Service.

Heritage Wind (Apex Clean Energy) has proposed building a 200-megawatt project in Barre.

The company will compile and respond to the PSS comments, “and will make any necessary adjustments to the studies it proposes in connection with the project,” Project Development Manager Ben Yazman said in letter March 12 to the Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary of the Public Service Commission.

Apex has been working in Barre for about two years. It has held several public meetings and has secured leases for 30 of the turbine sites. The company continues to discuss leases with landowners. Apex wants to have 47 sites under contract, Yazman told Orleans Hub last month.

The project would generate about $1.5 million in annual tax revenue for the town, county, school district and other public services, in addition to about $1 million annually to the landowners, Yazman said.

Richardson, 28, said the revenue-sharing deals for landowners and municipalities vary with the projects. She worries Barre may not get the promised revenue, especially because some of the deals she has seen show the county and school district getting more of the revenue than the host town.

“I don’t think this is as lucrative as it’s being made out to be,” she said.

Clear Skies will likely seek some of the intervenor funds that Apex will have to provide to the town and other recognized parties so they can hire experts or legal counsel to review the application.

Richardson urges residents to be involved in scrutinizing the project.

“My concern is for our community and what’s in the best interest for Barre,” she said.

She welcomed community members to attend Wednesday’s meeting at the library.

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Clay Crushers, a youth shooting sports team, has become popular locally

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2018 at 8:48 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

BARRE – Five members of the Orleans County Clay Crushers take turns on Sunday afternoon at one of the two traps at the Barre Sportsmen’s Club on Gray Road. Bryce Wilson, center, readies the shot. The Clay Crushers started 12 years ago with six youths. It has grown to 57 kids ages 12 to 18.

The Clay Crushers are hoping to have its members who live in the Albion school district be part of a new trap shooting team. That would follow Holley and Kendall, which have formed teams, with Holley starting last year and Kendall’s team formed this year. The Clay Crushers and Albion school district weren’t able to work out all the details in time for a team this year, but the Clay Crushers are hopeful there will be an Albion team next school year.

The Clay Crushers compete in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP)/Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP).

Tommy Fox, right, takes aim at a target. Jeff Atwell, back, is one of the five coaches for the program. The youths pay $5 each week to shoot at 50 of the targets.

Chris Rice is the lead administrator and one of five coaches for the program. He shows the machine that sends out the targets at about 43 miles per hour. The machine is unpredictable for the shooters, sending the targets in different directions. The shooters are 16 yards away from the machine.

“I just enjoy and love to see the kids shooting,” said Chris Rice, who helped start the Clay Crushers. “It’s better than playing a video game. It’s something the kids can do with their father and grandfather.”

Ryan Krenning fires at a target. The students use shotguns for the target shooting.

There are two trap fields at the Barre Sportsmen’s Club. With 57 kids in the program, it takes about five hours on Sunday afternoon for all of them to get in their 50 shots. The microphones are voice activated. When the shooter yells “pull,” a target is released.

Jeff Atwell, president of the Barre Sportsmen’s Club, gives Austin Furness, 15, of Albion some advice. Atwell is one of five coaches for the team. The others include Chris Rice, Ryan Uderitz, Tim Brien and Mike Donahue.

Some of the shooters hit about 90 percent of the targets. Atwell said the beginners typically pick up the sport quickly. The key to hitting the targets: “focus” and “practice, practice, practice,” Atwell said.

Andrew Uderitz of Albion takes a shot at the trap target. The ammunition is donated by local sportsmen’s clubs and the Friends of the NRA.

Mike Donahue keeps track of the shooters’ scores. In many of the school competitions, teams don’t travel to compete, except for the state competition. They shoot at their home team trap fields. They then submit their scores online and compare with the other teams’. If Albion has a school team, they would compete at the Barre Sportsmen’s Club.

Atwell said competing with the school would give the Clay Crushers more events to compete in.

Jason Conn, 12, of Albion lets out a smile during target shooting on Sunday. He joined the Clay Crushers last month. He looks forward to going hunting.

“It keeps the kids’ away from video games,” said his mother Kelly Furness. “He likes being outside and he has great role models with the kids next to him.”

Clay Crushers are on the line at the trap field. This group includes, right to left: Sawyer Braley, Andrew Uderitz, Gage Brannon, Sarah Kingdollar and Brad Kingdollar.

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Two open houses scheduled for wind energy project in Barre

Staff Reports Posted 6 April 2018 at 3:29 pm

ALBION – Heritage Wind will have two open houses at its Albion office for community members to learn about a proposed project in Barre. Apex Clean Energy is proposing to build a 200-megawatt wind energy facility in Barre.

Community members learn more about the project, meet members of the team, ask questions, and share feedback during open houses from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday and 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday. The sessions will be held at the Apex office, 49 North Main St., Albion.

“Apex has been working in the town of Barre for two years,” Project Developer Ben Yazman said. “During that time, we have held conversations with the Town Board, residents, landowners, state agencies, and other stakeholders to inform our development work. We are eager to share what we’ve learned and to answer questions, particularly regarding the community benefits this wind project can bring to Barre and Orleans County.”

Project staff invite the public to stop by if they have questions or wish to schedule a more formal meeting or presentation. Heritage Wind team members can be reached at 585-563-5137 or info@heritagewindpower.com. Office hours are also posted at www.heritagewindpower.com.

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Barre has photo contest showcasing the town and its people

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 April 2018 at 7:53 am

Photo by Tom Rivers: Jack Ludwick heads for home plate for the Barre Cubs in last July’s championship game. The Barre Cubs won, 9-8, vs. Sandstone Park. The Barre Cubs have been fixtures in the Albion Midget League since 1956, when the league started.

BARRE – The Barre Bicentennial Committee wants your best photos of the town and its residents for the upcoming 200th anniversary celebration of the town.

Barre is having a photo contest for youth (up to 18 years old) and adults. There are four categories: landscape, architecture, people and farm life.

Photos entered in the competition should be 8-by-10 prints. They need to be at the Town Hall by June 15-16. Judging will be on June 22, just ahead of the big bicentennial bash on June 29-July 1.

The best in show winner will receive $100. Other prizes include: first place, $40; second, $20; and third, $10.

The photos must be taken in Barre during 2017 or 2018, but aren’t limited to entries by Barre residents.

For more on the competition, click here.

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Apex files preliminary scoping statement for Heritage Wind in Barre

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 March 2018 at 5:30 pm

File photo by Tom Rivers: Ben Yazman, Heritage Wind project developer, is pictured by the Barre water tower on Route 98 behind the firehall in this photo from May 2016.

BARRE – Apex Clean Energy today filed a preliminary scoping statement with the state Department of Public Service. The company seeks to build a 200-megawatt wind energy facility in Barre.

The PSS filing opens a 21-day public comment period for community members to submit comments on the scoping statement.

Apex calls its proposed Barre project, “Heritage Wind.” The company will compile and respond to the PSS comments, “and will make any necessary adjustments to the studies it proposes in connection with the project,” Project Development Manager Ben Yazman said in letter today to the Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary of the Public Service Commission.

Apex has been working in Barre for about two years. It has held several public meetings and has secured leases for 30 of the turbine sites. The company continues to discuss leases with landowners. Apex wants to have 47 sites under contract, Yazman told Orleans Hub.

The project would generate about $1.5 million in annual tax revenue for the town, county, school district and other public services, in addition to about $1 million annually to the landowners, Yazman said.

The company hopes to submit a full application later this year that would detail a preliminary layout of the turbine locations. That would likely be in the central to eastern part of the town, away from Pine Hill Airport. The company intends to apply for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need from the state’s Board on Electric Generating Siting and Environment.

Filing the PSS marks the beginning of a formal public scoping process. The document to follow will describe the environmental setting in the project area, and identify potential environmental and health impacts from the construction and operation of the turbines.

“There will be a bevy of studies,” Yazman said at the company Albion office, 49 North Main St.

The scoping document will outline proposed benefits of the project, proposed studies on potential impacts to birds and bats, and proposals to minimize environmental impacts and reasonable alternatives.

The PSS will detail the environmental impact analysis that Apex will conduct with the project, including potential impacts to land use, public health and safety, terrestrial ecology — including birds, bats and wetlands, water resources, aquatic ecology, communications systems, transportation and utilities, and cultural, historical and recreational resources.

Visual impacts to be studied include the potential for shadow flicker, should with electromagnetic fields, and the impact on the statewide electrical system.

“Importantly, the PSS document will not yet include specific details regarding the proposed facility or its potential impacts on and benefits to the environment and the community — that information will be developed through the studies and commitments outlined in the PSS, and submitted in the formal Article 10 Application later in this process,” Yasman wrote to Burgess today.

Feedback in the PSS will play an important role in the development of the project, he said.

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With proclamations and citations, Barre marks 200th anniversary

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 March 2018 at 6:37 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

BARRE – The Town of Barre celebrated its bicentennial on Saturday with an open house at the Town Hall and several proclamations and citations on the milestone anniversary.

The top photos shows Town Supervisor Sean Pogue, left, listening to State Sen. Robert Ortt, center, and Assemblyman Steve Hawley read a proclamation from the state about Barre’s 200th anniversary.

They are pictured in front of a 10-by-17-foot flag that was donated to the town by the DeZetter family. The flag was made in 1886 when there were 38 states. Ortt said he would like to find some state funding to better preserve and display the large flag.

The town was founded in 1818. Barre officially formed on March 6, 1818. There will be another open house at the Town Hall on West Barre Road on Tuesday from noon to 6 p.m. There are many historical displays in the Town Hall in honor of the town’s bicentennial.

There will be a bigger celebration on June 29-30 at the Town Park on Route 98.

Orleans County legislators Lynne Johnson and John DeFilipps read a proclamation from the County Legislature about Barre’s 200th anniversary. The town also received proclamations and citations from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, and Congressman Chris Collins.

Sean Pogue, the town supervisor, invited barre residents to be active in the community and help write the next chapter of the town’s history.

“As a community, let’s put our thoughts together and create that sense of family and community that we will celebrate 25 years from now,” he said.

The proclamation from State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and State Senator Robert Ortt states the following:

Whereas, the State of New York takes great pride in recognizing and celebrating important milestones in the history of communities in the Empire States; and

Whereas, as New York State Legislators, we congratulate and honor those municipalities which were influential in the growth and development of our state and have greatly contributed to the economic and social prestige of the Empire State; and

Whereas, Barre can trace its founding back to the pioneer days of the Holland Purchase and the original four million acre “farm” known as the Morris Purchase, which was bought from Massachusetts in 1791; and

Whereas, the first settlers to reach the Town of Barre are Stephen Paine in 1816, who traveled on Ridge Road from Rochester, and Judge John Lee in 1818, who officially settled the area on March 6, naming it after his hometown of Barre, Massachusetts; the first Town Supervisor was Nathan Whitney in 1818; and

Whereas, Barre, the Massachusetts’ town namesake, was originally a colonel and member of the British Parliament during the American Revolution but was also a staunch friend of the early American colonies; and

Whereas, many of Barre’s early settlers were Revolutionary War veterans who came in ox-drawn wagons; pioneers eventually built crude log cabins without floors, chimneys or windows transforming the wilderness into productive farms and comfortable homes; and

Whereas, the agriculture industry has been an integral part of Barre’s economy since its inception, with open land yielding plenty of buckwheat, corn, rye, oats, wheat and dry beans, while its 2,000 cows make Barre the hub of Orleans County’s dairy industry; and

Whereas, Barre is currently home to more than 2,000 residents who embody the sheer determination, grit, and perseverance of early settlers who pushed through uncut wilderness and forest to start a new, more promising life on the fertile farmlands of what is now the Town of Barre; and

Whereas, may the Town of Barre and its good citizens stand as shining examples for all other localities to emulate, and may the town flourish and grow now and forever in the future; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, that Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Senator Robert Ortt in conjunction with the citizens of the 139th Assembly District and 62nd Senate District, offer congratulations and best wishes for continued success to the Town of Barre.”

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Church seeks variances for former Barre Grange to make site more attractive for reuse

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 January 2018 at 10:29 am

Photo by Tom Rivers: David Snell, owner of Snell Realtors in Albion, urges the Orleans County Planning Board to support setback variances for the former Barre Grange. Without the variances, Snell said the building is unlikely to find a new use.

ALBION – The former Barre Grange doesn’t have much space for vehicles to park. That makes it difficult for the building to find a new use, even if it’s just for storage, Orleans County Panning Board members were told on Thursday.

The building at the corner of Route 98 and Maple Street in Barre is owned by the Barre Presbyterian Church. The church wants to sell the former grange, but it will be a tough sell without the variances.

The Barre ordinance requires 15 feet for side setbacks but the former grange only has 1 foot for a setback. The ordinance also requires a minimum lot width of 200 feet, but the old grange only has 53 feet.

The Orleans County Planning Board voted against the variances on Thursday in an advisory recommendation to the Town of Barre. The County Planning Board said allowing such substantial variances would undermine Barre’s zoning regulations.

Peter Snell, owner of Snell Realtors in Albion, said the board should consider the future of the building without variances.

“What’s the alternative?” Snell asked the board. “If you can’t use it, who will level it? The congregation? It would be nice instead if it was collecting taxes.”

Snell said there was a potential buyer interested in the building for storage.

The lack of a setback from the building to the property line leaves no potential for a septic system, severely limiting future options at the site. But Snell said a storage business would be ideal, not requiring septic. Snell said he thinks there is room on the site for holding tanks.

Brian Napoli, the County Planning Board chairman, said the board makes recommendations based on the town ordinances. He suggested Barre revise its ordinance for the hamlet if it wants to facilitate reuse of the former grange.

Gary Daum, another board member, said the grange is one of the few buildings left in Barre’s hamlet that hasn’t been changed over the years. He thinks it’s an important building historically for the community.

Sarah Gatti, a planner for the county, said the variances could be denied but that doesn’t seal the building’s fate. Uses for the site could still be considered on a case by case basis and the town could approve them.

“It’s not a lost cause,” she said.

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