If the impact of solar is high, the impact of wind will be even higher—and more costly.
That was the overwhelming sentiment in Jefferson Thursday at a public hearing on changes to the town’s 2010 Wind Energy Facilities Law.
The issue’s complex and complicated said Supervisor Peggy Hait after nearly an hour of questions and concerns—pointing to a $2.4 million bill the Town of Sharon could be facing to rebuild roads damaged by a solar developer.
“I’d like to make sure we go down the right road,” Ms. Hait said, and so, the hearing will remain open through at least June or July.
The County Planning Commission has already voted against the amended wind law, citing conc ...

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Fonda Chronis, CEO and CFO of the Schoharie County IDA since September, will be leaving at the end of June to become city manager for the City of Ogdensburg in St. Lawrence County.
Mr. Chronis, who served as assistant to then-Schoharie County administrator Steve Wilson for four years before leaving in 2021 to become county administrator for Schuyler County, then returning to the place he said he’ll always consider home, called the decision to leave again “bittersweet.”
“But it’s is an opportunity I just cannot pass up,” he said after Ogdensburg Mayor Michael Dooley announced his appointment late Monday.
As the first full-time CEO for SCIDA, Mr. Chronis said he leaves the ...

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If you’re traveling to Schoharie, better give yourself extra time to get there.
For the next 2-3 months, the Schoharie County Department of Public Works will be making repairs to the Bridge Street bridge, work that could delay traffic for as long as 15-20 minutes in one direction—or both.
The repairs will focus on repairing structural joints and piers, DPW Commissioner Dan Crandell said Monday, and come even as work begins on preliminary engineering and rights-of-way for an even bigger project:
Replacing the bridge.
“Our intent is not to have to do a bridge closure, but there may be some traffic delays,” Mr. Crandell said.
Mr. Crandell has been seeking fun ...

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Schoharie residents will get a change to weigh in on Comprehensive Plan Rewrite efforts at two upcoming open houses:
• Thursday, May 23, 3-8pm, before, during, and after the Memorial Day parade, at the Town and Village Offices at 300 Main Street.
• Friday, May 31, 3-6pm, at the Methodist Church in Central Bridge.
The Comprehensive Plan Rewrite Committee got more than 600 responses from a survey sent out last fall and over the winter that asked residents to share their vision for Schoharie’s future, said member Bob Montione.
The open houses will be a chance for everyone to weigh in on those responses.
There will be maps and other documents to look at as well ...

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Walter Fahrenkopf, 40, of Fulton, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2023 shooting death of Jeffrey Mickle of Middleburgh, whose body was found in a junk yard in November in the Town of Broome.
Fahrenkopf pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter, a Class B violent felony, and concealment of a human corpse, a Class E felony, in Schoharie County Court last Monday, according to District Attorney Susan Mallery.
He will be sentenced on November 4, when he’s expected to receive a prison term of 20 years.
It was on Wednesday, November 29, that Mr. Mickle, 41, was reported missing, four days after he was last seen, and Schoharie County Sheriffs began investigating.

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