We have received your letter of March 20, 2007.

Our synopsis of the March 13th Town Board Public Hearing was intended to present the points we felt were significant to our members and supporters in a clear and succinct fashion. Since none of the Board's statements was pre-printed and distributed to the public, the only way we could communicate the proceedings to our supporters was by paraphrasing from what we heard. Any reader should understand the difference between paraphrasing and quoting. We do not believe we attributed any quotations to you. However, if you feel your position was not accurately summarized on our site, we ask that you e-mail your complete statement to us at info@allianceforbovina.org as soon as possible so that we can post it. For completeness, we ask of the entire Board that all statements be sent to us for posting on the site.

Since you obviously go to and read our web site, you should know that we encourage civil and constructive dialogue with all members of the community. Every effort is made to correct inadvertent errors that may appear on our web site, or in any other material produced by the Alliance for Bovina. Once we receive your statement we will review it and make any correction as to the "facts" of your statement and position on wind turbines.

We will also be willing to post your letter of March 20th on the web site once we receive your statement. If you would prefer we do not, please let us know.

As directors of the Alliance for Bovina we have always encouraged respect for the process of local government and have endeavored to get people involved. We have also encouraged respect for our local officials, especially at this time of heightened emotion over a very controversial issue. These are our operating rules.

You mention "the intimidation factor, accusations and harassment” experienced by board members. We do not know what others may have said or done that you would characterize this way, but we assure you that our policy has always been to be constructive, respectful, and civil. In the future, if you believe there is anything which would be considered harassment or intimidation and attribute it to the Alliance, please let us know immediately.

Respectfully,

In an historic vote on March 13, 2007, after months of controversy and research, the Bovina Town Board banned wind turbines from this scenic Catskill town. Bovina is the first town in the Catskills to take a clear position against industrial wind development. The Bovina vote follows a twelve-month moratorium during which residents made their views known to town officials through open meetings sponsored by the board, hundreds of letters, a town survey, a petition, and a poll sponsored by industrial wind opponents. The vote was three in favor of a ban, one opposed. About sixty people attended the public hearing before the vote.

"We see this vote as a sign that democracy can work," said Larry Karam, co-director and counsel of the Alliance for Bovina, which organized against industrial-scale turbines. "The great majority of people in this town opposed large wind turbines, they spoke up, and the town board and town supervisor listened. Our town board deserves its share of the credit for what has been accomplished. "

The wind turbine issue has heated up across the region as large wind developers, eager to take advantage of federal and state incentives, have secretly signed agreements with local landowners to site industrial wind turbines on the area’s scenic mountain ridges. Since New York is a “home rule” state, the small rural towns where these projects are being proposed are forced to address this complex issue on their own, expending great amounts of time and energy. Bovina has shown itself to be a small giant by opposing wind development and asserting its right to home rule. Hundreds of residents have contributed to the effort. Town Board members who voted for the ban cited public opinion as their main consideration.

Hall Willkie, co-director of the Alliance for Bovina, explained that the Alliance was formed to help concerned citizens organize their opposition to corporate wind developers targeting the Catskills. “When we first learned of the threat of these huge wind projects in February 2006,” says Willkie, “developers had already signed leases with property owners on ridges stretching across four towns. We were playing catch up. We could see that projects had moved forward quickly in other parts of New York where there was no opposition. Most of our constituents supported alternative energy but felt that clusters of 410-foot-tall wind turbines would be inappropriate for this scenic area. There were strong concerns about views, health, safety, noise, and property values. The Alliance polled the entire town and found 83 percent opposed having industrial wind turbines here. Our efforts focused on making sure the voice of the majority was heard.”

PUBLIC COMMENTS Some of those attending the public hearing asked for changes to the draft law before the vote. Six speakers asked that turbines for residential use be allowed, claiming that as an individual right. Larry Karam said the Alliance for Bovina had steadily supported small wind turbines (under 125 feet) for home use. As for the draft law’s exemption for farms, he asked that it be strengthened to close possible loopholes. Peter Henner, attorney for the Alliance for Bovina, asked that the law be clarified to allow only one turbine per farm in the case of an agricultural exemption. The Town Board decided, however, to vote on the draft law as written and they made no changes.

STATEMENTS BY THE BOARD Before voting, each board member made a statement. Tina Mole’, Bovina Town Supervisor, said she was voting for the ban based on public opinion and existing zoning law. Chuck McIntosh and Ken Brown both supported wind as an alternative energy but said they would vote for a ban to represent the majority of the town. Randy Inman said he could not vote for a ban because he felt industrial wind development would provide needed energy and revenue without adverse impacts, based on what he had learned at Tug Hill, the largest wind project in New York. McIntosh, Brown and Inman also said they found those opposed to industrial wind development had been insulting and intimidating towards the Town Board. To the contrary, the Alliance for Bovina feels that those supporting a ban of industrial wind development simply exercised their rights as citizens, generally, in a thoughtful, respectful manner. Many observers have found Town Board members unwilling to engage in constructive dialogue on this issue and this has isolated them unnecessarily from their constituents.

WIND LAWS IN THE CATSKILLS Bovina’s new law, which is an amendment to its zoning law, bans all wind turbines (both commercial and residential) but allows for wind turbines used to power a local farm, a right that is granted by the state of New York. The law goes into effect once it is recorded with the New York Department of State. Bovina is now one of a handful of upstate New York towns to ban commercial wind development—and the first in the Catskills. Others Catskill towns soon will have to make their own decisions. In Andes, the Planning Board has recommended banning commercial wind turbines but allowing residential and farm turbines; the Town Board is expected to concur. In Stamford, Invenergy, LLC has proposed a 34 turbine project which appears to have the support of town officials although local opposition is strong. In Meredith, where opposition to wind development is also strong, town officials appear to be split. The Alliance for Bovina actively supports those working to ban commercial wind development in these neighboring towns.

Tom Craveiro, co-director of the Alliance for Bovina, sees the vote as part of a broad movement to head off inappropriate wind development. Craveiro said “I believe the vote to ban commercial wind turbines in Bovina will encourage other towns in our area to do the same. Bovina was fortunate because our comprehensive plan and zoning ordinances made it clear that industrial wind development was not part of the community’s vision for itself. Rather, our goal is to preserve the town’s scenic, rural and agricultural character. Neighboring towns without zoning lack this guidance. We have benefited greatly from the efforts of those before us who gave Bovina a blueprint for the future. But it is up to each generation to be good stewards of the land and that is what we have done here. Time will tell if other Catskill towns will stand up to powerful wind developers and do the same.”

Dear Bovina Neighbor:
In a short, dramatic meeting on February 28th, the Bovina Town Board took an important first step towards banning industrial and residential wind turbines. The four board members (Tina Mole’, Randy Inman, Chuck McIntosh and Ken Brown) all agreed to submit the town’s draft wind ordinance to the Delaware County Planning Board for review. This amendment to local zoning law was made available to the public at the meeting and is posted on our web site http://www.allianceforbovina.org for everyone to read. It would ban all industrial and residential turbines from Bovina but would allow small turbines for farms. New York State’s Agriculture and Market law already grants this right to farmers. About 30 people attended the meeting and they gave a round of applause to the board members when the motion carried.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Government procedure requires that the Delaware County Planning Board review Bovina’s proposed zoning amendment, usually a formality. The proposed law will then be discussed at a specially convened Public Hearing, scheduled for March 13, 2007 at 5:30 PM in the Community Hall. The Town Board will likely vote on the new law at that meeting. Once passed, it would be sent to the New York Dept. of State to be duly recorded and would then go into effect. This is expected to happen before the end of Bovina’s Wind Moratorium on April 26, 2007.

STAY INFORMED, ATTEND THE PUBLIC HEARING ON MARCH 13TH
It has been one year since the threat of industrial wind turbines first became known in Bovina. Since then, many people have contributed time, money and ideas in our effort to protect Bovina and surrounding areas. Our efforts appear to be bearing fruit in Bovina, as well as Andes, where their planning board last night recommended a ban on industrial wind turbines. In Stamford and Meredith the situations are much more precarious. If we can achieve a ban in Bovina, this will encourage our neighbors to do the same and effectively protect the western Catskills. We have gotten this far by mobilizing public pressure. We need to keep that up at this decisive moment. If you have any questions or comments about the new wind law in Bovina, contact us at mailto:info@allianceforbovina.org

Please plan to attend the Public Hearing on the new wind ordinance, March 13, 2007 at 5:30 PM in the Community Hall. This will be an historic event for Bovina and your attendance is very important.

Sincerely,
Tom Craveiro,
Larry Karam,
Hall Willkie
Co-Directors, Alliance for Bovina

Please attend the meeting if you can. Until we see the legal language
of the ordinance, we cannot just sit back and let things happen without
EVERYONE'S involvement in this important process in our community.

We are also informed that on March 13, 2007 at 5:30 PM at the Community
Hall there will be a Public Hearing on the proposed ordinance at which
time the public may comment and ask questions. Immediately after the
public hearing, the Town Board is going to vote on the ordinance. If
the Town attorney has already drafted an ordinance at the direction of
the Board, it would appear that the vote will be one passing the
ordinance. Everyone who can should also attend the Public Hearing.

We do not expect any surprises in the process outlined here because all
of the information came directly from Tina Mole' on Tuesday, February
27th, in a conversation with Tom Craviero, co-director of the Alliance
for Bovina.

Larry Karam
Co-Director and Counsel
Alliance for Bovina

The survey results were presented at a special joint meeting of the
Bovina Town Board, Bovina Planning Board, Delaware County Planning, and
Shepstone Management Company. About 100 people packed into the
community hall to observe the proceedings, an unusually high turnout.
Tina Mole', Roberta Burgin and Chuck McIntosh made opening statements
before Tom Shepstone presented his survey results. The meeting ended
with a question and answer period when many people explained their
criticisms of the survey and Mr. Shepstone defended his findings. The
discussions were respectful and everyone had a chance to voice their
opinions

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE TOWN SURVEY:

• The most remarkable result showed that there is NO
division between full-time residents and part-time residents in their
opinions on large turbines. A similar majority of both groups opposes
large turbines in Bovina. According to Shepstone, statistically, the
opinions of second home owners were identical to those of full-time
residents on most of the issues surveyed.

• 70% of ALL those surveyed did not like the look of
turbines on the mountains and 75% of full-time residents did not like
their look.

• 71% of ALL those surveyed thought turbines were a
major distraction

• 383 respondents thought real estate values would
be a Major Concern compared to only 55 respondents saying it was not a
concern.

• 380 respondents thought that the impact on the
Quality of the Landscape a Major Concern compared to only 65 respondents
saying that it was not a concern.

• 75% of ALL respondents thought that "wind farms"
would be a liability to Bovina

For complete results, Click here

The Alliance for Bovina is very pleased that the survey results show
most Bovina residents oppose commercial wind turbines in our town and
that this issue not just a "second home owner" issue. We welcome
everyone in Bovina to be a supporter of the Alliance in its fight
against commercial turbines in our area and our future efforts on other
important issues which need more community involvement.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT:

As we understand the process ahead, the Planning Board will now give
their recommendations for a wind ordinance to the Town Board, perhaps as
early as the next Planning Board meeting on February 19, 2007. We
expect the planning Board will offer up two or three opinions, with some
members favoring turbines and others opposing them. The members of the
Planning Board are Roberta Bergin, Pat Miele, Anne Bonne' and Chris
Ingvordsen. We will report to you what each planning board member
recommends on this issue. We hope that any Planning Board member who
has been thinking of allowing turbines in Bovina will change his/her
mind given the results of hundreds of e-mails and letters, the
Alliance's Poll, the Alliance's Petition, and the Town survey results.

After the Planning Board issues its recommendations, the Town Board will
take these into consideration as it begins work on a law to regulate
wind development. We expect the Town Board deliberations to begin at
their meeting on March 13, 2007. Tina Mole is quoted as saying that she
has already asked Rosemary Nicols (Town Attorney), and Nicole Francese
(Delaware County Planning), to prepare a law which bans commercial wind
turbines. We hope that this request means the entire Town Board agrees
with this type of ordinance. Town Board members are Tina Mole', Chuck
McIntosh, Ken Brown and Randy Inman. (Roger Brain recently passed away
after a long struggle with cancer. His seat has not yet been filled.)
We will report to you how each Town Board member votes on this issue.
With elections in November 2007 for several Town Board seats, it is
important for every voting citizen to know how each board member votes.
The mandate from the majority is clear and not open to question: ban
commercial wind turbines in Bovina.

We will keep you up to date as things progress over the next several
weeks. Please feel free to e-mail us any comments at
info@allianceforbovina.org

Hall Willkie
Larry Karam
Tom Craviero

The Bovina Town Board has scheduled TWO important public meetings for Monday evening, February 5th, in the Bovina Community Hall. Everyone should attend.

REAL PROPERTY TAX ISSUES, 5:30pm The first public meeting of the evening will address real property tax issues. Bovina has seen a whopping increase in tax bills this year although the town budget has remained about the same. There will be a panel of experts to discuss the equalization rate, inventory of taxable properties in Bovina, and a future revaluation of assessments. The panel will take questions from the public.

Reminder: The Broadlands estate, much of it located in Bovina, recently sold to a financial group with plans for a luxurious Aman Resort. This could result in a significant increase in tax revenue to the town.

WIND POWER SURVEY RESULTS, 7:00PM The second public meeting of the evening will address the results of the wind power survey undertaken this month by the Town of Bovina. Tom Shepstone, the consultant who wrote the survey, will present his results. Board members will speak about issues surrounding the survey. The public will be invited to ask questions and make comments.

The Alliance for Bovina will raise issues regarding this poorly written survey and will follow up on our petition to the Town Board, signed by hundreds of residents, requesting that the survey be rescinded.

EVERYONE concerned about wind development in Bovina should attend this meeting and show the Board that a MAJORITY is AGAINST industrial wind turbines and that we want the survey rescinded because it is biased, confusing and misleading.

Watch our web site, http://www.allianceforbovina.org for the latest news about these important meetings.

The Alliance for Bovina

As part of our active community outreach during the Town of Bovina Wind Power Survey, the Alliance for Bovina has noted that approximately 100 town surveys were not delivered -- out of a total 870. The Delaware County Planning Department was responsible for mailing the survey and incorrectly addressed many by using

The correct owner's name...BUT the previous owner's address!

Except for just a few, these 100 were mostly downstate or out of town property owners. The fact that so many surveys had not reached their destination became clear during the Alliance's telephone and email outreach. We notified town officials about the many people who had not received their survey and supplied a list of their names and correct mailing addresses. Replacement surveys went out sometime last week...some as late as Friday, January 19th (the survey deadline). Unfortunately, these replacement surveys went out with the original cover letter repeating that the deadline was January 19th. We have now been told that the deadline has been extended, and these replacement surveys will be included in the final tally.

At this time, many of you are finally receiving your survey. The Alliance for Bovina encourages you to complete your survey and mail it immediately. Please write any comments you may have onto the survey and request that they be made part of the public record. Many people are also writing letters directly to the Bovina Town Board and including them with their survey.

In addition, please don't forget to make a copy of your survey and mail it to:

The Alliance for Bovina
PO Box 98
Bovina Center, New York 13740

1. Every property owner and/or registered voter should receive a survey. If you have not received a survey by 1/4/07, please contact the Alliance for Bovina IMMEDIATELY at: Info@allianceforbovina.org. Or you can call 607-832-4330.

2. Even though you may disagree with how the survey is worded, the Alliance urges you to:
ANSWER the entire survey. Some questions may be difficult to understand. If you have questions, please contact us.

WRITE in your comments as to how you feel about industrial turbines in Bovina at the end or back of the survey. The survey avoids asking this basic question in a clear and concise fashion. If you are troubled by wording of the survey, WRITE those comments as well.
ADD this phrase to your comments: PLEASE MAKE THIS SURVEY AND MY COMMENTS A PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD.

MAKE two (2) copies of your completed survey. Return the original in the envelope provided. Keep a copy and send the other copy to the Alliance. Do not include your name if anonymity is important to you. We want to make sure that when we review the original surveys none have been accidentally discarded and that your comments are preserved for the public record. You can scan it and e-mail it back to us or just mail the copy to:

Alliance for Bovina
Box 98
Bovina, New York 13740.

3. The Alliance for Bovina's Position on the Survey:
We had supported the Town's desire to have a more detailed survey in spite of the Alliance's recent Poll showing that an overwhelming majority is against industrial turbines in Bovina. However, it appears that the Town Board is determined to (a) separate locals from everyone else and (b) find statistics supporting industrial turbines for Bovina. We see no other reason for this survey. For example, even though you may be completely against industrial turbines in Bovina, you are "forced" to answer questions about them anyway. This will allow the Board to cherry-pick only specific answers without regard to how you really feel about industrial turbines. Many questions do not give you the option to indicate that you are "against industrial turbines" no matter what the question asks.

Our polling consultant has told us preliminarily that the survey is poorly worded, questions without a number designation (see #10) will be difficult to tabulate, the design is wrong and mostly unprofessional, and the survey is clearly biased in favor of placing industrial turbines in Bovina. "Traps" are built into some questions because you are not provided with certain definitions such as "land use," "basic property right," and "certain districts of Town." Question #18 is disturbing (because you are not told the difference between "full Environmental Impact Statements" and "basic Environmental Assessments") as well as Question #19 (because you are not told the definition of "development right for Town purchase," "dedicated new taxes," or "public purchase of land."). All of these terms have a very specific legal meaning which the Board is aware of but you are not.

We are concerned with the Board's continued effort to divide the Town by asking if we are full-time residents (question #2) and if we have a "vacation" or second home (question #3). The Alliance believes that these questions are (a) contrary to good government and the Board's fiduciary duty to represent everyone paying property taxes and/or registered to vote, (b) that they constitute a form of discrimination and (c) that there is no legitimate reason to separate local/full-time from non-local/full time citizens for this issue. The Alliance believes these questions were asked because the Board appears to be mainly "concerned" with the views of local/full time residents (i.e., the majority of voters, at least currently.) We intend to have the survey professionally evaluated, publish the results for the public to read, and submit it to the Board to show that in a biased survey, results supporting the bias are unreliable.

The Alliance will continue its efforts to oppose industrial turbines in Bovina by A. Exposing the kind of deceptive government demonstrated by this survey B. Promoting representation of all citizens and, if necessary, C. Helping to change the composition of the Town government.

The Alliance for Bovina's confidence in achieving these goals is strengthened by similar efforts by the other Alliances in our neighboring towns in Delaware County.
Please stay informed by reading our e-mails, reading the local papers, going to our website at http://www.allianceforbovina.org, or contacting us directly by e-mail or phone.

The community poll in Bovina is significant since New York is a ‘home rule’ state and each town must make its own decision about wind turbines. Larry Karam, attorney and co-director of the Alliance for Bovina, explained that “the New York State Dept. of State advises that towns should first determine what their community wants. A poll of the entire community was seen as an appropriate first step, yet one that has not yet been undertaken in any other town of upstate New York”.

Karam said that after speaking with so many people in the community, hearing their concerns through their letters and emails – it seemed a simple solution. “We saw our role as fulfilling that first step and asking a simple question – does Bovina want industrial wind power plants here or not? The issue of small-scale wind turbines is much less controversial but it also needed to be addressed. The Town of Bovina may do a more detailed survey on the topic in the future and they may uncover the reasons for ambivalence on this issue of small turbines for individual use. But when it comes to industrial wind turbines, I don’t think there is much more anyone needs to know in Bovina.”

To assure the poll remained anonymous, it was verified and the results tabulated by an independent pollster in Milford, PA. The pollster separated a signature portion from the poll after insuring that the person responding was on the list of those to be polled. The polls were mailed out on September 3rd and the deadline was September 15, 2006

A comprehensive analysis of the poll results will be presented at the October 10th meeting of the Bovina Town Board and will be posted here. It is not clear what decision the Town Board will make about wind turbines but they have indicated that a decision is likely before the end of the year.

Ryan has asked Invenergy to address the Stamford Town Board at their September 20th meeting. We told one board member they should expect a big crowd (the Hobart hall only holds about 60) and I think there will at least 300. Even the Bovina Town and Planning Board members have talked about going. I expect the Invenergy presentation will be very professional, very calming, very slick. We should be prepared with sophisticated rebuttals to their arguments about how wind development will be good for Stamford. Remember, "It's all about the money".

We thank everyone who volunteered their time to help us run the meeting, and especially all the area residents that joined us and packed the house! We had neighbors from New Kingston and Andes, as well as long-time and just-arrived Bovina residents, all there to gain knowledge and information on the wind turbine issue.