Public notice to rezone a small property, no connection to wind energy, easily readable from your car
Two signs – two meetings – one bold – one unreadable
Two different meetings scheduled one week apart. The first, for a zoning change that affects a few individuals and a small parcel of property. The second, announcing a wind energy “zoning overlay” and the wind ordinance, applies to almost half the township and will be seen by and affect tens or hundreds of thousands of individuals for decades to come.
Both photos taken five steps away from the sign with the same camera at the same zoom. Unbelievable!
Maybe they don’t want you to come to the hearing
If the second sign is their notice for the biggest project ever to come to North East, while the first is for a minor rezoning of a small property, it makes you wonder what they are trying to hide about their decisions concerning the wind energy ordinance. Maybe you should make sure you come to the meeting on September 10th at 7PM. Bring your friends, too.
Public notice of hearing for wind energy ordinance, cannot be read until you stop and get out of your car and get up close. Would you even know it was a public notice? What are they trying to hide?
No, I can’t make out what it says, either.
Tammy C Truitt says
Your officials do not want the citizens to attend. We have the same problem in Somerset County Maryland. If people do not ask questions or show concern, they will change your ordinance to suit the needs of the developer. They use the same tactic here.
When the turbines begin spinning, residents are hit with the reality of industrial wind in their communities, local officials deflect the blame back to residents for not voicing opposition.
Asking questions and expressing concern are the most important steps to ensure responsible placement of industrial wind turbines.
Paul Crowe says
If residents attend this hearing, they’ll ask questions and the supervisors have no good answers and their lack of knowledge shows. The supervisors aren’t trying to craft a good ordinance and do it right, they’re trying to “get this thing over with.”
Wind energy is something they know nothing about, it’s out of their comfort zone, learning enough to make a good decision is hard work while hurrying up and pushing things through will, in their minds, let them get back to the easy stuff, whatever that might be.
Tammy, you also pointed out a tactic they often use. When few residents attend meetings and decisions are poorly made, they blame the residents for not speaking up. If residents show up, then the residents are called troublemakers because they’re asking so many questions. Residents are always at fault, supervisors are always blameless. Neat trick, but it doesn’t work anymore. Now, everything is going to be closely examined and questioned.
abbylynn says
Those township officials should be ashamed of themselves. And, the citizens of the township should be outraged that their officials show such disrespect toward the residents.
Tammy C Truitt says
A term officials like to use to diminish citizen concerns is NIMBY. It means not in my back yard.
I do not understand why a label would be placed on concerned citizens who have their past, present, and futures vested on the actions of local governing bodies who were elected to represent them.
Citizen input is supposed to be the foundation of government in the Untied States.
brian fallon says
Those for and against the turbines must come to this public hearing. I had to stand in a ditch and push weeds out of the way while making sure i was not going to be struck by a car 3 feet away going 50 mph in order to read the sign by my road. So far all i have seen since i have been attending township meetings is one farmer who is trying to squeeze as many turbines as possible onto his “small tract of land” and a board of supervisors who seem to have no concern for what turbine manufacturers are saying is a safe setback. i have heard them say they need to keep this thing moving and it seems they are tired of talking about it. It is supposed to be an ordinance to protect the people of the township. I am not clear how. And why is the salesman for Pioneer Green always there sitting next to his most (only) vocal land host. Come and see it for yourself…it is your LAST CHANCE
Ann Caruana says
I was fortunate to see the notice in large print coming down Williams road. I am guessing a concerned neighbor posted it because it could be read from the road on my way to work. I am grateful to that neighbor and will most definitely be at the meeting. North East was always about community and I am disappointed with the way this project is being handled. I moved to North East 27 yrs ago to raise my family because of the landscape and community. I have seen the turbine farms near Watertown New York and can’t imagine living with that in my view. I suffer from severe motion sickness and could not even look at them, not to mention the flicker. The return to our environment is not enough to warrant the risk to our health and community. I have seen no post of how much these landowners are being paid to place turbines on their property. I am curious to know at what cost we sacrifice public health and the aesthetics of our community. And the obvious question, the return to the township and the property owners that have leased property for the purpose of placing turbines. The setbacks are concerning and I believe public safety must be the main priority at this meeting.
brian fallon says
Wanted to thank the township for putting up a sign that is easier to read..saw it today