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Friday, September 22, 2006Septemner 22 2006If Proposed Wind Ordinance Stands, Cherry Valley Turbine Plan Will Fall  By JIM KEVLIN CHERRY VALLEY If the "Cherry Valley Wind Energy Facility Law" stands, Reunion Power's 24-turbine wind farm planned for East Hill may fall. With all the setbacks contained in the proposed law, only two-tenths of an acre in the whole project area would be eligible for a windmill, said David Little, Reunion's vice president for development. But "the whole process hasn't completely played out," he said. After a public hearing on the law, scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, at the town barn, the law may be amended. It would then have to be re-introduced, and would go through the hearing process again. In early October, Reunion and the town are considering a public forum, where consultants for each side will be available to answer the public's questions. The public hearings held to date are simply for hearing testimony, so there's no give and take, no opportunity to ask questions and get them answered. "The last chapter has not been writ," agreed Walter Buist, who as a Planning Board member helped develop the law. For one things, the town board must approve it. Supervisor Tom Garretson has expressed his support for the law, but the two councilmen, Fabian Bressett and Jim Johnson, voted against a 12-month moratorium that would have delayed the $100 million turbine development, perhaps fatally. For his part, Garretson said the law "makes it more difficult, but it doesn't make it impossible." He said Reunion has been dealing with 12 landowners; the company now may have to approach an additional 25. "Have they every approached those 25?" Garretson asked. "If they haven't, how can they ever say it won't work." The supervisor said he will not call a vote the night of the public hearing, as he regrets doing July 31, the night of the public hearing on the moratorium proposal. He said, however, he anticipates a vote before November, while a three-month moratorium is still in place. Whether the law rules out wind-turbine development or not, it does raise the bar for Reunion and any other would-be developers that might follow. The first draft of the law, withdrawn before it went to public hearing, required turbines to be set back 451 feet from property lines and 1,200 feet from the nearest dwelling. The second draft increased that to 1,200 and 2,000 feet respectively. "When they (Reunion) put together the plan," said Garretson, "they were assuming the knew what they knew what the setbacks would be." Things turned out differently, he said. Buist agreed the setback standards may be the toughest standard in New York State, but Garretson, he said, had asked for "the gold standard." The supervisor asked townspeople to try to visualize how tall 400 feet is; the turbine poles would be 270 feet, with 260-foot blades pushing the height to 400. In Garretson's own case, his home on Mill Road is 40-foot tall. He tried to visualize what 10 such structures would look stacked one on top of the other. He then tried to visualize how far from his back deck such a structure would have to be not to dominate the landscape. Garretson introduced the new law at the town board's monthly meeting on Thursday, Sept. 14, and he said at that time: "Our concern is to protect the town, and that's what we're here to do. If a developer can't use this law, maybe another developer can." Also at that meeting, the town board appointed Leonard Press, who moved here from Brooklyn in 1997, to a Planning Board vacancy. Press has a master's in urban and regional planning from the University of Oregon. It also accepted the offer of Erik Miller, a former county planner and new executive director of the Otsego County Conservation Association, to act as an unpaid adviser to the Planning Board through the end of the year. The OCCA is a private entity dedicated to promoting good planning practices. In an interview Wednesday, Sept. 20, from his offices in Manchester, Vt., Little said, "Whey we did our layout, we spent a lot of time determining what the proper setbacks should be." The company advised the Planning Board on the first draft of the law after analysing 15 other ordinances from around the state. "Second, we looked at precedent," he said. "The ordinance goes beyond what we perceive as appropriate setbacks people should be looking at," he said. Reunion has been working with the Otsego County Industrial Development Authority on a PILOT – payment in lieu of taxes – plan that would give the Town of Cherry Valley $375,000 a year over the next 20 years, and a deal with NYSEG solutions that would reduce the town's cost of electricity by 50 percent. Since that 50 percent doesn't include transmission costs, the actual savings would be in the neighborhood of 25 percent., Little said. If, for example, the average electrical bill in the town were $100 a month, the average home would save $25 a month, or $300 a year. Multiplied by the town's 629 units, that means residents would save a little under $2 million a year. For his part, Andy Minnig, who heads the anti-turbine group Advocates for Cherry Valley, said, "This is a very good ordinance that takes into account local needs and the unique topography of this area." Trustees Want Sidewalks Clear; Merchants Object to Intrusion  By TOM HEITZ COOPERSTOWN Should Cooperstown merchants be allowed to display merchandise on the sidewalks in front of their stores? A proposed change to the village vending law that would prohibit such displays of merchandise, even on private property adjoining the sidewalks, was scheduled for a public hearing and adoption at the trustees’ meeting on Monday, Sept. 18. However, the protests and sharp criticism of several Main Street merchants during the public hearing persuaded the trustees to withdraw a motion for passage of the law. Instead, the Planning Committee, led by trustees Jeff Katz and Paul Kuhn, will invite merchants to engage in further dialogue aimed at finding a “middle ground” when they meet at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5. “I would be willing to listen,” Kuhn told Ted Hargrove, owner of TJ’s Place, 214 Main St., and other properties. “There is always middle ground,” Hargrove replied, adding that he could only speak for himself. Safety concerns were cited as the basis for restricting the display of merchandise outside storefronts as the sidewalks become crowded and passage around such displays is impeded. As an example, one resident related that an elderly friend who walks with difficulty had been afraid to pass by on her way to purchase fudge because of the congestion in front of certain stores. Ted Hargrove told the trustees that the six-foot-wide open strip running across the front of his store, where racks of baseball theme clothing are displayed two months a year, is his private property. Hargrove emphasized the importance of that space for the success of his business. “It cost me dearly,” Hargrove said. Hargrove, who employs about 40 workers and owns two adjoining retail buildings on Main Street, said his annual operating and maintenance costs exceed $275,000. Hargrove said his buildings generate $30,000 in property taxes and thousands more in sales tax revenues. He also cited monies he has spent in renovations to the structures. “Don’t legislate against us making a living,” Hargrove said. “A healthy Main Street means we can maintain our buildings and pay our bills.” Kuhn said the proposed law prohibiting display of merchandise outside stores had been drafted with safety concerns in view but that the beauty of the village was also at stake. “Our village is beginning to look very shabby. We’re ashamed of Main Street. We want it back,” Kuhn said. “We’re not in old Williamsburg here,” Hargrove responded. “We’re in Cooperstown. I have to defend myself. We’re not going to close this town down to traffic and pedestrians so you can give a tour,” Hargrove continued, referring to Kuhn’s own historic walking tour business. “If my racks bother you, walk on the other side of the street.” Art Ausfeld, who owns A&E Sports Cards and More, 134 Main St., said he had moved his operations to Cooperstown from Southside Mall in Oneonta, but now found the proposal to restrict outside merchandise displays “disgusting” and “discouraging.” Ausfeld cited conditions in Saratoga Springs where merchandise is commonly seen on display outside stores. “I’m ready to go back to Southside Mall,” he said. Other residents supported Kuhn’s position and called for the trustees to “clean up Main Street.” Later in the meeting as the trustees prepared to vote on the measure to restrict the display of retail merchandise, questions were raised regarding the scope of the law and its effect on businesses such as the garden displays at the Agway store on Railroad Avenue and on restaurants that serve customers outdoors. Hargrove noted that the proposed law would institute a change in retail policy that is inconsistent with historic practices which have characterized the Cooperstown business district dating back a century or longer. Hargrove and Jim Florczak, who runs Where It All Began Bat Co., 87 Main St. and owns multiple properties, each indicated their intent to seek legal redress if the law was adopted in the form proposed. Trustee Grace Kull said she was not prepared to vote one way or the other based on what she had heard so far. Trustee Glenn Hubbell said he was in favor of allowing the vending to continue. Katz cited his concerns about the scope of the law and its possible unintended effects. Kuhn noted that the merchants had received prior notification of the matter when the ordinance changes were under consideration in committee, and had failed to make their views known at the time. It was at that point when Kuhn proposed that Hargrove and other merchants with similar concerns be invited to attend the Oct. 5 meeting. Comments and criticism from more than a score of merchants and residents influenced the voting of trustees following public hearings for two other proposed local law revisions at last Monday’s village board of trustees’ meeting. * A proposal to amend the village charter and increase parking fines from $20 to $35 was adopted. Trustees Kuhn, Kull, Milo Stewart, Jr. and Katz voted in favor with trustees Glenn Hubbell and Stuart Taugher voting against. The measure is intended to reduce parking violations, encourage parking in peripheral lots and increase use of the village trolley fleet. Public comment on the change was generally favorable and several proponents urged an even higher increase. Opponents expressed concern that local residents would suffer. * A proposal to amend the traffic regulations to add “No Left Turn” signs between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the Chestnut Street and Main Street exits of Doubleday parking lot was rejected by a unanimous vote after public criticism raised doubts about whether the changes would truly be beneficial to public safety and traffic flow. Margaret Savoie, proprietor of Don Olin Realty near the Chestnut Street entrance spoke at length about the dangers to pedestrians, motor vehicles and buses at that intersection. She questioned the wisdom of sending buses exclusively to the right on Chestnut. The matter will be given further study by the Police Committee. In other important business, the trustees approved up to $10,000 to renovate portions of the village library. The effort will be supported with contributions by Friends of the Library. According to Kuhn, the Police Committee is researching the possibility of creating parking permits that can be purchased by anyone for the summer season. A study of delivery truck schedules is also underway with the goal of minimizing their presence during peak traffic hours. Attention To Detail Evident  SPRINGFIELD A tree fell in the forest, and Bill Miller saw the possibilities. Don't scrap it, he told the work crew. Over the winter, he hand-peeled the bark off the 42-foot trunk, sanded it with care, and rubbed it with tung oil until a deep sheen came to the surface. Today, the maple rises through the circular staircase that leads from the ground floor, through the main floor and up into the owner's quarters in the demonstration model at Miller's Arrowhead Pointe condos, nature in the midst of woodsy elegance. Enter by a waterfall. To the right are copper sinks. To the left, a private elevator. Straight ahead, the beauties of Otsego Lake, including a view of James Fenimore Cooper's famed "Sleeping Lion" - Mount Wellington above Hyde Bay. But what's the first thing everyone remarks on? You guessed it. That attention to detail isn't new to Bill Miller. After a tool and die apprenticeship, he moved from his native Cooperstown to New Jersey, where he founded a vacuum-pump replacement parts company, Precision Plus. Not an ordinary vacuum-pump parts company, but one that met or exceeded OEM (original equipment manufacturer) standards and cost 25-50 percent less. Seven years ago, he sold Precision Plus to the $5 billion BOC Group Inc., and last year the subsidiary sold more than five million individual parts. Miller took a couple of years off and, among other things, built a log home in Middlefield - a showcase - but, as you can imagine, he got itchy. He wanted something new to do. "So many people came into my house and said, whoa, this is awesome," said the 40-something entrepreneur, which started him thinking. The result was Arrowhead Pointe, an eight-condo development just over the Otsego-Springfield town line on Route 80. He started thinking about the project after buying one of the last open five-acre tracts of land on Otsego Lake. Impressed by Harvey Kaiser's "Great Camps of the Adirondacks," he called Kaiser for advice, and was referred to Paul Soper, a Syracuse architect who converted Minnowbrook, the great camp - built in 1895 by Christian Bahnsen, a wealthy wool merchant from Passaic, N.J. - into a conference center for Syracuse University. Soper has also done contracts for Cornell and SUNY, and is doing restoration work at Paul Smith's College. There are no "mechanical fasteners" in the Arrowhead Pointe condos, according to the architect; the building is post and beam - Douglas fir and western cedar - and everything fits. "This is a structural system that is handcrafted," Soper said, "cut and peeled and handcrafted the way old buildings are." His son works for a modernist architect in Princeton, a much different muse. When the father brought him to see Miller's project, the best he could say was, "Well, Dad, at least it's an honest structure." Soper likes that characterization: Walk in, and "you can read the whole structure," you can see how it fits together. The condos were built to Soper's specifications by TreeHouse Log Homes of Lumby, B.C. The company - often owner Bruce Mooney himself on the backhoe - logged the trees and put the structure together, then dismantled it, numbering the pieces, which were then put back together alongside Glimmerglass. Snyder Construction Co. of Schenevus is putting together the condos, but you'll often find Miller working alongside Ed and Tom Snyder and the crews. Everything about the place fascinates him. The twig railings. The arrowhead motif on the glass lightshades. The sweep of the staircase, and the 20 strips of pine that made that sweeping beam possible. Mirrored walls, strategically placed to double the sense of airiness. "My view is, if you're going to do something, do the best you can," he said. That even applies to the four-step septic system. First, effluent is chewed up by microbes in an aerated septic tank, similar to what's done in municipal treatment plants. Then, it's run through peat biotanks. Finally, it goes through a phosphorus and nutrient removal tank before, "near potable," it flows into the lake. Starting at $1.3 million - pricey even by the ever-rising standards in the local real-estate market - Miller is undeterred. With tens of thousands of parents, many of them upscale, being drawn to the area annually by Dreams Park, "inevitably, some of those families are going to fall in love with the lake and want to build homes here." The payback on an investment of this type, in what will be a Kennedy-compound type of setting, would occur over generations, he said. Miller's attention to detail impresses Soper. One expression of it is individual waterfalls that flow past the door of each duplex, a Miller innnovation. "It takes away the road noise. It immediately creates a feeling you're in the wood," he said. "I think the whole concept is brilliant: Inventive, innovative, bold." Cherry Valley Kite Festival Seeks Amity CHERRY VALLEY Wind doesn't have to be controversial."With what's been going on dividing neighbors," said Jane Sapinsky, Cherry Valley Artworks executive director, "we thought have something fun and peaceful to do with the wind would be nice." The result: the first Cherry Valley International Kite Festival, planned for months' end, Saturday, Sept. 30. International, because 25 kite-flying experts will be coming to town not just from the northeastern U.S., but from Canada. The event will feature George Peters of Boulder, Colo., step-father of Pam Livingston, an Artworks member, and a world-famous kite flyer who has just returned to the U.S. from a competition in Dieppe, France, one of the largest kite-flying events in the world. Peters will be holding a workshop Friday evening, Sept. 29, and the experts are coming for the opportunity to study at the feet of the master. That's true, said Ralph Reed, president of Kites Over New England, "George has kites that fly very well. They're colorful, they're imaginative." But even more than that, Reed said, "We like to fly anywehre we can. We like to spread our addiction to other people." Peters was more modest, saying there are many standouts in kiting, "It keeps surprising me." The experts found their way to kiting in different ways. Reed traces his interest to a well-endowed young woman who happened to walk by him some 16 years ago. He found himself looking at her appreciatively, then noticed the words on her T-shirt: "Boston Area Stunt Kites." Peters was a commercial artist in Hawaii, working inside and yearning to be in the lovely weather outside. The day will begin at 10 a.m. with a Kid's Kite building workshop at the Old School Community Center, where Archie Stewart of Massachusetts will present a "stealth learning" experience. Young participants will build kites while traveling the world and visiting various cultures. The program will end with a "indoor kite ballet" followed by a "mass ascension" of the children's kite. The $5 fee covers all supplies. The kite festival will run from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in a field off Campbell Road, part of the 200-year-old Glensfoot dairy farm. Parking is free at various lots around town and transportation is available via bus or by hay-ride through farm fields to the site, which is surrounded by spectacular views. The experts will be demonstrating their skills, but participants are encouraged to bring and fly their own kites as well. There is a $3 entry fee; children under 10 are free. "They're bringing all kinds of kites; some of them are spectacular," said Sapinsky. "What they will fly will depend on the wind conditions, but some are 100 feet wide and fly up to 500 feet. The Cherry Valley Museum, chamber of commerce and fire department, and the Roseboom Historical Association will be vending food and drink. At 8 p.m., the High Flyers Flight Team, who have performed at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival, will present an indoor kite show set to music in the gym of the Cherry Valley-Springfield School. Doors open at 7:30; admission is $3. Friends of Doubleday's Goal: $5 Million To Preserve Field  By BREN MIOSEK COOPERSTOWN Nearly six years ago Dr. Ralph Lach and his son, Thom Lach, established Friends of Doubleday. The purpose: to propitiate the care of Doubleday Field, the legendary home of baseball, with the help of a $5 million endowment. “They wanted to make sure that nothing happened to the field and that it would always be there for baseball fans to enjoy,” said Ed Landers, Cooperstown, who succeeded Lach as chairman of the board. Looking to revive the passion that drove Friends of Doubleday to protect the historical diamond in the first place, Landers, along with board members Jim Rencken, Greg Harris, Lee Malone, Stu Taugher, Scott Dunlop, Joe Harris, Greg Lippitt, Roberta Kieler, Pete Landers, Ralph Lach, Hall of Fame Phil Neikro, Toby Voight and advisers Paul Kuhn and Jeff Katz, two village trustees, decided to proceed with a plan put into play years ago. In the past, Friends of Doubleday sold pavers – engraved bricks bearing the engraved name of the person or business who bought the stone – and placed them in the entrance to Doubleday Field. Landers, along with others, recently noticed that the pavers, put in place only a few years ago, were already starting to crack. “We decided to continue selling pavers, but we recently switched from brick to granite,” said Landers. “We're expecting the granite to last a lot longer.” On Tuesday, Sept. 19, Landers and crew welcomes Han Oertel and John Harrison of Syrstone Inc. who installed a curb surrounding the area outside Doubleday Field's entrance that will house the granite pavers. “The curb work was laid Tuesday, and the prep work for the installation of the pavers was finished by Wednesday. We're hoping to have the project completed by next week,” said Landers. Landers went on to explain that once the pavers are set in place, and engraver will inscribe the name of the persons or businesses who made the purchase. “Over time, we hope to build a five-million-dollar fund for Doubleday Field,” said Landers. “Right now we're a little over $100,000. Once we have sufficient funds, we hope to do a second section of paver, and then a third.” Four- by 8-inch pavers, two-inches thick, are available for $140 each. Additional sizes will soon be made available as well. Lost March Rediscovered To Help Mark Village 200th COOPERSTOWN Cooperstown will be marching to a different beat during the upcoming bicentennial: the "Cooperstown March and Two Step," a 1907 Centennial gift from the Pease Piano Co., 128 West 42nd St., New York. The march was sent a while back to local historian Hugh C. MacDougall, who is also a member of the Village Bicentennial Committee. He donated the original to the New York State Historical Association, but kept a copy for himself. The other day, he handed it over to Ted Peters, director of the Cooperstown Community Band, who is planning to have what's written as a piano piece redone for the three different keys – French horn, F; trumpet and clarinet, B flat, and trombone and flute, C – required by the band. News of this sort will start happening more and more as Cooperstown nears its 200th year as an incorporated village; the actual date will be April 3. Village Trustee Grace Krull, who chairs the Bicentennial Committee, said the formal festivities will begin that month, on April 21, when the Post Office will cancel stamps with a commemorative postmark. From 5 to 7 p.m. that evening, a reception is planned in the ballroom of the Village Library, featuring a historic display now being prepared by the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies. Also that evening, the Cooperstown Community Band may perform the "Cooperstown March and Two Step" for the first time in memory, (although Eleanor MacDougall has played it on the piano for her husband.) The Community Band will certainly perform the march during the parade that will launch a weeklong celebration, Sept. 8-15, Peters said. He also pointed out it is not the only march with a local basis: Norman Stoddard, former director, composed the "Cooperstown Community Band March" in 1970, and it's become a staple. According to MacDougall, Cooperstown was once a center of music publishing. As early as 1808, the Phinney brothers, publishers of the Otsego Herald, issued a collection of songs. In the 1830s and '40s, someone named L.C. Saxton was publishing music here. About that time, a certain M. Richter published a song in Philadelphia and dedicated it to "Fanny Cooper of Cooperstown." Also, MacDougall said, there have been various musical adaptions of James Fenimore Cooper's novels, including five operas. Pease Piano's founder, Chauncey Pease, who once served as village mayor, started his company here in the 1840s, moved it to a town on the lower Hudson River and then to New York City. The cover sheet of "Cooperstown March and Two Step" says the company also had branches on Fulton Street in Brooklyn and in Newark, N.J. "I presume they" – the Pease family – "were still running it in 1907," MacDougall said. Little is known of J.B. Cohen, except that he wrote other tunes for Pease Piano, including a hit, "Possum, The Latest Craze," about a dance that had some currency around the turn of the 20th Century. While the Bicentennial Committee is planning activities, Kull encourages anyone or any organization in the community to plunge ahead if they have ideas of their own on how to best commemorate the village's 200th. Labels: Archives
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