Land deal will be completed without a public referendum
The Town Council held their hearing tonight on whether to purchase the land for the controversial Whalerock wind turbine project.
The Council voted to act fast and purchase the land without going to the voters for approval.
The final vote was 4-1 with Town Council Vice President Paul Andersen dissenting. Before the vote she explained that she supports the purchase but that her conscience requires her to ask for a public referendum to make the decision.
During the segment for public statements the majority of speakers were neighbors of the proposed project and people involved in conservation organizations. They uniformly urged the Council to complete the purchase although some wished there was time for a referendum.
Two speakers wanted to know if the same sort of consideration would be given to the neighbors of other industrial projects in and near our town, such as the COPAR quarry.
The only question of significant debate was whether the decision should go to a public vote. It was clear that the Open Space/Recreation bond can be spent by a Council decision but supporters of the new beach pavilions in 2011 pushed the Council about why the beach pavilions went to a public vote and this decision didn't. Three of the current Council members were members then: Tom Gentz, Dan Slattery and Lisa DiBello. CCA with its candidates Gentz and Slattery fought against the beach pavilions, siding with beach neighborhood homeowners not wanting more beach traffic. The beach pavilions were approved in the public vote.
The Whalerock drama is now all but over. A contract should be signed within days.
There was talk of assigning a conservation easement on the land to a conservation organization such as the Nature Conservancy so that a future Council will not be able to use the land for another purpose. That topic was not resolved tonight and will be the subject of a future Council meeting.
Council President Gentz also promised that the COPAR problems will be addressed at the September 9 Council meeting.
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| Attendees tonight were offered one of these to wear |
The Town Council held their hearing tonight on whether to purchase the land for the controversial Whalerock wind turbine project.
The Council voted to act fast and purchase the land without going to the voters for approval.
The final vote was 4-1 with Town Council Vice President Paul Andersen dissenting. Before the vote she explained that she supports the purchase but that her conscience requires her to ask for a public referendum to make the decision.
During the segment for public statements the majority of speakers were neighbors of the proposed project and people involved in conservation organizations. They uniformly urged the Council to complete the purchase although some wished there was time for a referendum.
Two speakers wanted to know if the same sort of consideration would be given to the neighbors of other industrial projects in and near our town, such as the COPAR quarry.
The only question of significant debate was whether the decision should go to a public vote. It was clear that the Open Space/Recreation bond can be spent by a Council decision but supporters of the new beach pavilions in 2011 pushed the Council about why the beach pavilions went to a public vote and this decision didn't. Three of the current Council members were members then: Tom Gentz, Dan Slattery and Lisa DiBello. CCA with its candidates Gentz and Slattery fought against the beach pavilions, siding with beach neighborhood homeowners not wanting more beach traffic. The beach pavilions were approved in the public vote.
The Whalerock drama is now all but over. A contract should be signed within days.
There was talk of assigning a conservation easement on the land to a conservation organization such as the Nature Conservancy so that a future Council will not be able to use the land for another purpose. That topic was not resolved tonight and will be the subject of a future Council meeting.
Council President Gentz also promised that the COPAR problems will be addressed at the September 9 Council meeting.