Prattsburgh officials still misleading the public

To the Editor,

The Wind Factory situation in Prattsburgh gets more and more bizarre as UPC tries to talk landowners into signing easements that it desperately needs for a contiguous transmission route to its substation. At the same time, an issue of trust is arising because of misleading statements from local officials.

It seems that UPC has hired a firm - Prospect Land Services - to contact landowners so that they will sign easements for the transmission cables. This was surprising news since town officials had stated that UPC would be able to use easements that the town has for maintaining roads. However, what residents were not told is that landowners own their property to the middle of the road, and while the town's approval is necessary, the landowners must approve the easement as well.

It's a bit confusing for the landowners.

Last spring UPC bragged that they would begin work in June - then July - then August. Supporters of the project went so far as to "leak" an e-mail to this effect to those who have raised objections to the project. However, aside from some-out-of state trucks and out-of-county surveyors driving around Prattsburgh, real work has not commenced and will not commence until and unless they have a contiguous route to the substation. UPC is not an electric utility, cannot force people to sign easements and neither can the Town of Prattsburgh. Prattsburgh officials should be ashamed for misleading its citizens.

Al Muscianese Prattsburgh