Letters - Nov. 19, 2009

With pride

A bit of history records that the new Colton public school building opened in 1939 and that year’s class graduated in the new facility.

My class of 1940 attended their full senior year and then graduated in the spring of that year. We have always regarded with pride the District 306 consolidated system as it educated our children and grandchildren. In our opinion recently retired Supt. Dale Foley showed an excellent example of how to operate a school system of this type. We wish him and Christy a happy, fulfilled and well earned retirement.

To the board of directors: we are hopeful you are able to continue employing teachers and staff of his caliber. We will continue to point with pride to “306.”

Gerald and Carol Druffel, Clarkston

Stand in the gap

I am a Whitman County resident since 1988, and I ask consideration of the following in regard to wind power generation in Whitman County.

First is the county’s responsibility to residents and private property owners which make up two different points of view: one owns land and wishes to exercise his freedom and right to profit from this new entrepreneurial opportunity; and the other owns land and wishes to have his right to privacy upheld, and to protect the value of his land and the quality of his traditional rural lifestyle.

The third party is the commercial interest from outside Whitman County that proposes the use of our county resources (land and wind) in exchange for certain benefits and of course requiring certain protections and privileges.

I have encouraged our county to be deeply responsible to the first two parties and infinitely resolute in considering and sifting the promises and petitions of the third, or outside commercial interests.

This third party should not be allowed our resources, before establishing fair and agreeable rules to govern and protect all of the residents of our county.

We must seek to make good neighbors inside our boundaries before deciding how an outside corporate entity might or might not be a good associate of any of our county’s citizens.

In order to be effective, wind generators must reach high into the sky (several hundred feet).

Our County is unique in its land formations and prairie-like vegetation.

These generators cannot blend into the landscape and must always be conspicuous and prominent.

They must, by design, be unobstructed by hills or trees.

The best sites for their efficient operation are hilltops and ridge lines.

Also, they are installed in clusters (sometimes hundreds) of towers in dense proximity, which leads to the unavoidable conclusion that they are visibly obstructive on the landscape for many miles.

The intrusion of commercial wind power generators is not only visual to the landscape, but also objectionable based on noise from the generators themselves and from the blades flickering as they rotate, blocking sunlight or moonlight as they spin.

Support and maintenance activities will cause noise and traffic on a regular basis.

High voltage lines needed to carry the generated power to distribution stations normally cause radio and other electro-magnetic interference which affects every residence and property owner along their path.

Within the first mile radius of such an installation there will be a complete change to the character of the land and “normal and usual” activities will be destroyed.

The County must protect the adjacent landowners within this first mile radius with basic veto power of any size commercial installation of wind power generation.

All of these combined effects of any installation are most obtrusive in a physical nature within the first 5 miles in a perimeter of the site and some measure of compensation must be afforded any landowner in this larger radius.

Furthermore, if the value of a home on adjacent land within a 10 -mile radius of a commercial wind installation is diminished then there must be provision in our laws to be equitable toward these landowners, both as a buy-out or as a perpetual percentage compensation for loss of value to their property.

If there is entrepreneurial interest in this county in commercial wind power generation installations on private land, and if there are landowners interested in taking this opportunity with their own lands; then let them first be responsible to their neighbors. And if the intrusion of such an installation is given permission over the objections of any adjacent or neighboring landowner - then based on his proximity to the installation within 10 miles - he must be compensated.

As to this third party, they are an outside corporate interest prospecting the resources of our open land and unobstructed ridge lines and our wind.

The privilege to take our skyline and “decorate” it with wind generators should not be for sale except where every landowner in a 10-mile radius is in favor of such an installation.

No landowner within a 10-mile radius should suffer financial loss on account of property value decline without compensation from the commercial enterprise.

The County must legislate to protect a property owner from activities of objectionable nature on adjacent and neighboring lands where such activities will cause harm, or grievance to one party all for the profit of the second party.

The presentation of this opportunity requires the County to act in defense of the landowner who is in the less powerful position. The favor and financial promise of the commercial wind interest and the land owner who stands to profit from an installation on his own land quickly create a force too powerful for any one citizen to oppose - the County must stand in the gap and legislate fairness.

I pray that the County’s actions and wisdom will cause all of our citizens to be proud and will result in the preservation of our rights and the promotion of all our prosperity.

Jeffrey A. Igielski, Albion

Great Tradition

We first attended a Colfax High School musical ten years ago when we moved here. We were amazed then to find a production of such quality in such a small school district. Every year we’ve gone back since, to see kids we know performing on stage, and just to enjoy a great show.

As our own kids have grown and gotten involved in CHS musicals, we’ve come to appreciate something else…the opportunity this program provides. Colfax has a great sports program, but it’s not for everyone. Young people who enjoy the arts and have musical or dramatic aptitude have a great place to develop their talents, thanks to this program.

Hats off to Mr. Cary Cammack for keeping a great tradition alive in our district!

Melissa May,

Colfax