HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1989-03-08, Page 48BSI BILL HENRI(
Each day, Ken Bauer looks across the
Goderich Township farm that's been in his
family for over a century. He sees the part-
ly erected Ontario Hydro transmission
towers and gets a little more angry.
It's land he says he'll never sell, which
means the three towers and the lines which
will eventually carry a million volts of elec-
tricity across his farm will become an
unavoidable part of his life until the la d
again goes from father to son.
"We have no way of stopping it," Bauer
says :bitterly.
Bat that inevitability (Hydro got approval
for the line almost two years ago) doesn't
mean Bauer will easily accept the roughly
$25,000 compensation he's been offered.
"It's not money that's the real issue. Ws
the intrusion on your land," says Bauer, who
calculates his expropriated land should be
worth several times that.
So like many i f the disgruntled among 450
property owners between Kincardine's
Bruce Nuclear Power Development and a
transmission station south of Strathroy,
Bauer will take his demands for more
money to an Ontario Municipal Board ar-
bitration hearing.
He's not expecting to gain much, but he
says since he can't refuse the line, more
compensation is all he can expect.
"I don't .look forward to gaining anything
by going to OMB. It's just a form of pro-
test," Bauer says.
It's a protest that hydro officials, while
.arguing that their expropriation package of-
fers fair market land value, admit is the
choice of a higher percentage of landowners
than on past projects, perhaps because it
crosses some of the province's best
agricultural land.
Estimates differ.
Hydro spokesman Richard Ellis says as
many est() per cent of thelandowners have
settled, many happily.
Farm groups say it's closer to30 or 40 per
cent.
Foodiannd Hydro, a citizen's group, claims
as many as 10 per cent of the property
owners may go before the municipal board
rather than accept hydro offers based on
what many farmers call a biased appraisal.
OFFERING MARKETVALUE
"We (Hydro) pay based on market value.
We cannot pay less than market value,"
says Ellis, whose job as community rela-
tions field officer is to explain the massive
project to area municipal councils, seniors
groups and others who inquire.
But withso many cases expected to go to
arbitration, Ellis says he can't discuss
specifics, other than to say that every pro-
perty is handled differently, and that the
negotiations are as fair as can be.
Expected to be complete by August of
1990, the $285 million line will carry Bruce
nuclear power across about 700 towers. Two
sets of double circuit KV lines will each
carry'500 kilovolts of electricity. Near Kin-
cardine, helicopters have started string wire
and 175 towers are fully erected and ready
to string.
Despite rumors, Ellis says the line will not
connect directly to the United States,
although Hydro will continue to offer power
to the Americans in times of need, as it has
always done.
Ellis says Hydro "takes all kinds of situa-
tions into consideration", even moving
houses fir, las . meatho a windiIllll, to keep
property owners happy.
But Bauer says he's found the corporation
"inflexible".
The field agent handling the expropriation
Torn to page 5A .Q
Ren Bauer says his land is not for sale at
any price and he's losing the property hydro
is expropriating for three transmission
towers without proper negotiation. Like as
many as 10 per cent of the 450 landowners
affected, Bauer, seen hereat phis farm south
of Gaderieh, will take his demand for More
compensation to the Ontario Municipal
Board. (Bill Henry photo )
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4 x 3/8 tate -bar $1.53 ft.
21/4 x 3/16 •Rate .bar 370 per It.
21/2 xc 1/4 flag bar 640 :per it.
1 z 5/16 .late •bar =.40c .per ft.
11/4' x 5/16 hate bar 50c per ft.
33/4 x 3/16 `Rate bar .630 :per aft.
.4 x .285 tate bar 31.00 :per ft.
PAT'
14 -gunge _plate 94c .per sq. ft.
12 guage plate $1.32 per sq. fl.
61" x 120" x1/4" plate $3.30 .per sq. ft.
TUBING ROUND BE SQUARE
.4 118 D D 188 Wa10 S2.O0 per ft.
4% 0 D 140 Wal0 $1:80 :,per ft.
.4 0 D .5/16 'Wan 33.45 per It.
5 0 ,D 150 Wan :$2.25 :per ft.
5 D D V4 Wall 33:5.5 per it.
4% D D 1/8 111/a10$1.75 per ft.
. 4 x 2 x 1/8 Wall Tube 31:55 :per it.
4 x 4 x 1/8 Wan -rube 31.94 per ft.
4 .x .2 x250 Wall Tube $2.80 per ft.
PIPE
1.315:® 0 10 ft. $6.00 per length
1.050 0 Galvanized 10' $5.20 per length
2 7/8" 0 0 1/4 wall $1.95 ft.
1 " used pipe 380 per ft.
BEAMS
f" 0Beam 40 ft. $4.15 per ft.
3" 0 B am 40 ft. $2:15 per ft.
10" Wide Flange Beams 22 lbs. per ft.
60' k $8.10 per ft.
i
'INC F/ .'.f,1.
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Barri Posts, `hog A:Aooring, Mpg Panels, Square "Tubing, Gleams, Channels, Ands iron,
late, Reinforcing g Bar., Dement Mesh,
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