Those folks in favor of the Boces program must be looking at a graph and those perfect stats we all heavily rely on.......as for the trades,,,it's either us or those pesky 'illegal immigrants' or ex-cons.......

And no-I did not find your post offensive, this is a general statement from me, of which most folks would not like to face as a reality and tend to say(including myself):"atleast I dont have that job as an auto mechanic(or whatever the 'poor' job is)",,,,and there can only be 3 reasons for this statement

1.We feel sorry for the poor bloke.
2.We want to make sure our effort to get where we are was worth it.
3.We make an example for our kids or friends kids etc.

Actually I think that there has always been a problem in our school systems for the children who do excel. It was that way even when I was in school...and it still exists today. It always appeared that way, to me anyways. Vocational training always seemed to get the extra attention and effort and funding, and the other kids that were excelling in other acedemic areas, were left to fend for themselves.

I'm not saying that one is more important than the other. I am saying that they are both equally needed.

And this is what I got from Brad's post as well. I thought that he was talking 'equality'. IMHO

http://www.dailygazette.com

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DUANESBURG
Hillcrest residents hopeful they can stay
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Carmella Fusco keeps boxes in the hallway of her mobile home just in case.
    With the deadline to vacate the Hillcrest Commons Mobile Home Park approaching in June, she and her sister, Frances Fusco, aren’t sure whether they should start packing or continue hoping. There are rumors the 53-site property will soon be sold to someone interested in fixing the failing sanitary system.
    “Every day we wake up, we’re not sure what we’re going to hear,” she said Wednesday. “We don’t know what’s going on.”
    It’s a problem facing Hillcrest’s tenants in the month they have before the state Department of Environmental Conservation has ordered the park vacated. The Fuscos are among a majority of residents choosing to remain in the park in hopes of avoiding a costly and unwanted move.
    Others have left. Along the rows of trailers lay rectangular patches of dirt and bare utility poles, where former renters pulled up stakes.
    The sisters don’t have the option. Frances Fusco is disabled and relies on her sister for income; neither has enough money to afford a new home elsewhere.
    Neighbor Barbara Heimlich finds herself in the same position. She’s disabled and lives alone, save for the company of her cat and two dogs.
    “Most of us plan on staying until they literally kick us out because we have no place to go,” she said.
    In December, park residents received a letter from Morgan Management, the Rochester-area company that owns the property, indicating the park was under a DEC order to cease discharging from its failed wastewater treatment system into the nearby Normans Kill. The letter offered residents up to $4,000 to relocate their homes to one of three Morgan Management properties — in Porter Corners and Ballston Spa in Saratoga County — by April.
    However, many park residents said moving their homes to the parks located more than 30 miles away would prove a hardship. Others worried state regulations would prevent them from moving their older-model trailers from the 42-year-old park.
    In February, DEC officials granted Morgan Management a 60-day extension. Around the same time, rumors circulated that Morgan Management was selling the property to someone willing to fix its sanitary system.
    Regional DEC spokesman Rick Georgeson said the DEC hasn’t received any plans to remedy the park’s sanitary system. As it stands, he said, the park would need to cease its discharge by June, absent viable plans and fi - nances.
    “There has been some contact, but nothing formal,” he said.
    Bryan Dibble, a regional manager with Morgan Management, did not return calls for comment.
    Park manager Richard Dickershaid said he’s had contact with Dibble and was told to assure residents a solution is in the making. He said engineers have already mapped the park’s sanitary system and performed some maintenance.
    “We’re just going to have to hope and keep our fingers crossed,” he said. “The best thing to do is hang on right now.”
    As for Heimlich, a resolution can’t come soon enough. She’s seen contractors working around the park and has read a letter from Morgan Management urging residents to be patient.
    But Heimlich has also held off on improvements she planned months ago. And she’ll limit any repairs to basic maintenance just in case she’s forced to move.
    “It’s like living in limbo,” she said. “You don’t know what going to happen day to day.”

So did the people who moved, receive their moving allowance? And ore they allowed to move back and receive another moving allowance? I think that they should if they choose to.

http://www.dailygazette.com

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DUANESBURG
Town drafts wind turbine rules
Public hearing set on regulations
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Duanesburg officials have drafted Schenectady County’s first ordinance aimed at regulating wind turbine developments.
    The Town Board will conduct a public hearing on the proposed regulations on June 12. If adopted, the law would make Duanesburg the first municipality in the county to set standards for wind power projects.
    Board members first considered drafting the law while they were reviewing the town’s comprehensive plan last year. Supervisor Rene Merrihew said the proposed ordinance sets easy-to-understand guidelines for smaller, residential-use wind turbines, while offering performance standards for the type of large wind farm projects pitched elsewhere around upstate New York.
    “We really wanted to make it as simple as possible for residents, yet provide safeguards should big wind projects come in,” she said Thursday.
    Similar wind turbine ordinances have been proposed in neighboring Saratoga, Montgomery and Schoharie counties. The towns of Princetown and Rotterdam began discussing such a law after a Reunion Power, a Vermont-based project development service, proposed building a 197-foot temporary meteorological tower in Pattersonville.
    Duanesburg’s law divides wind developments into small and large categories depending on the amount of energy they would produce. Wind projects producing more than 100 kilowatts face additional regulations, which include submitting a decommissioning plan to the town, having a resolution process in place for complaints and providing a sound analysis of the noise level of the project.
    The law establishes a $100 fee for small wind projects. Large wind projects would pay a fee equivalent to $500 per megawatt of “proposed nameplate capacity” of a project.
    Large wind developments must be located at least 1,500 feet away from residences and a minimum of 500 feet away from public roads or off-site property boundaries. Small wind turbines and measurement towers would need to be located at a distance one and a half times the height.
    The ordinance sets a maximum height of 500 feet for large wind developments, with the tip of the rotor being located no closer than 30 feet from the ground. Small energy projects are limited to a 200- foot maximum height, with their blades reaching no closer than 15 feet to the ground.
    The owner of any turbine failing to convert wind power into energy for a continuous year would be required to remove the structure at their own expense, the draft law states. Anyone operating a measuring tower or wind turbine not conforming to the town code could face fines of up to $1,000 per day for each violation.
    The ordinance comes less than a month after General Electric proposed the county’s first industrialsized wind turbine at its plant in Rotterdam. Company officials indicated the planned 300-foot tower would generate 1.5 megawatts and would be used to power GE’s Renewables Global Headquarters.
    Merrihew said she’s not aware of any large wind projects being proposed for Duanesburg. However, she said about a dozen residents have expressed interest in building small turbines for personal use.

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... Large wind developments must be located at least 1,500 feet away from residences and a minimum of 500 feet away from public roads or off-site property boundaries. ...

The 1,500 feet distance may be conservative considering the noise that some of the large wind turbines emit.  I believe that the location of the wind turbines should be based on both an analysis of noise level (decibels) and distance.

Do they sound like a train?....because the sound of a train(freight not commuter) rolling down the tracks is like rain to me.....

Quoted from 78

The 1,500 feet distance may be conservative considering the noise that some of the large wind turbines emit.  I believe that the location of the wind turbines should be based on both an analysis of noise level (decibels) and distance.

Brad,
I understand your concern, however, I think this is taken into consideration.  At least that's how I read this paragraph. They expect the noise to only be an issue for the larger projects.  Maybe it's something to make sure is clarified at the public hearing.

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Duanesburg’s law divides wind developments into small and large categories depending on the amount of energy they would produce. Wind projects producing more than 100 kilowatts face additional regulations, which include submitting a decommissioning plan to the town, having a resolution process in place for complaints and providing a sound analysis of the noise level of the project.

The noise levels and setback requirements have been considered via the performance standards in the law.  Justin did an excellent job in writing this article but of course he was not able to provide all the info. I will post a copy of the law as soon as I get the final un-redlined copy from the attorney.
I have driven out Route #20 to see the towers in Madison County.  I was able to drive up to the gate which was fairly close.  The noise was minimal....a slight whooshing sound.  This is just my personal observation and opinion.  How do they look?  Again, just my personal opinion, but I thought they looked surreal and not at all offensive.  I know there are many who would disagree and thats ok.  

I have never seen or heard one. But I can't imagine them looking anymore offensive than power poles, power lines and substations that presently run through our streets and properties.

One concern would be how susceptible they are to lightning strikes and what the time frame  would be for repair if a lightning strike did take place. Or any damage that could occur.

Also, what is the maintenance on these?

http://www.dailygazette.com

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Planning Board member resigns

    DUANESBURG — Town offi - cials accepted the resignation of Laura Silva, Planning Board member and former chairwoman.
    Silva informed the town this week, but did not indicate why she was leaving her seat. She will officially step down on June 1, Supervisor Rene Merrihew said Thursday.
    “She will be sorely missed,” she said during the Town Board meeting.
    Silva has served 10 years on the board and was chair for eight.

Is Laura Silva any relation to the John Silva on the Rotterdam Town Board?

Congratulations on the wind turbine regs.  I love the way your town gets it done.  I'm hoping to attend the public hearing to educate myself and anticipate a dinner meeting with my friend from Cherry Valley that was at the forefront of their battle before then.

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Quote from Bumble   Is Laura Silva any relation to the John Silva on the Rotterdam Town Board?

I don't know if Laura is related to your Mr. Silva.

Thanks Michael.....we try to be proactive.  Quite frankly I'm embarassed I did not have it done before now.  Make sure you introduce yourself if you come to the hearing.  Is your friend pro or con on wind power?  I know there has been quite a battle out in the Cherry Valley area over this subject.  

I read through the legislation and agree that it is well written.  To my earlier concern, the legislation contains regulations pertaining to noise emissions.  I was encouraged to find that it also addresses cases of abandonment.  

Not being familiar with the wind towers, I have a question pertaining to their potential to act as lightning rods.  The towers will be the tallest of structures in an area.  Is there any potential that they may act to attract lightning and is there any concern or possibility that the electrical charge can travel to surrounding structures?  I apologize for my naivety.  Not a technology with which I have much experience or knowledge.

I commend the Duanesburg Town Board and my friend Supervisor Merrihew for the well written legislation that will allow for the construction of wind turbines while protecting the investments and ensuring the peaceful enjoyment of property owners.  In my opinion, the Town of Duanesburg offers great potential for alternative energy source as the wind NEVER stops here.