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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2017-04-19, Page 66 Signal Star • Wednesday, April 19, 2017 Gotle�ic� Signal -Star VOL. 26 - ISSUE 16 PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 Signal Star Publishing 120 Huckins St. Goderich ON N7A 3X8 519-524-2614 www.goderichsignalstar.com POSTMEDIA JOHN BAUMAN Group Manager, Media Sales jbauman@postmedia.com ext. 232 JANET SHRIER Office Manager jashrier@postmedia.com ext. 220 KATHLEEN SMITH Editor katsmith@postmedia.com ext. 211 SUSAN MCINTOSH Sales smcintosh@postmedia.com ext. 228 TARA CORRAN Sales tcorran@postmedia.com ext. 230 STACEY SCOTT Inside Sales sscott@postmedia.com ext. 229 RHONDA BUTT Accounting rhbutt@postmedia.com MARY JOHNSTON Accounts Receivable majohnston@postmedia.com CURTIS ARMSTRONG Group Director of Media Sales 519 376-2250 ext. 514301 or 510 364-2001 ext. 531024 Editorial Deadline - Friday 2 p.m. Advertising booking deadline - Friday 1:30 p.m. SUBSCRIPTION RATES ADVANCE: Regular $50.00 includes GST (12 months) Seniors $50.00 includes GST (14 months) US $249.00 plus GST Foreign 5416.40 plus GST Single Copy 51.50 includes GST Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 120 Huckins St, Goderich ON N7A 3X8 For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns: 519-524-2614 Goderich Signal Star is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For more information or to file a complaint go to www.mediacouncil.ca or call toll free 1-844-877-1163. The Goderich Signal Star shall not be liable for failure to publish an ad for typographical errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of that portion of the ad in which the error occurred. The Goderich Signal -Star reserves the right to reject or edit any advertisement. The Goderich Signal -Star is a proud member of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA) and The Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA). Member of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association and the Canadian Community Newspaper Association. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. ocna uanaaa letters to the editor In response to `Searching for Accountability' Dear Editor, We are writing in response to the article published Thursday, April 6 titled Searching for Accountability. We'd like to correct a few of the statements pre- sented in the article and notify the interested public of an opportunity to come hear and discuss our explanation of the project at the April 24 Goderich Town Council Meeting at 4:30pm. First of all, we would like to commend Dr, Spacek . for his dedication and commitment to the Goderich community. It is clear he has an admirable drive to protect and improve the wellbeing of the citizens of Goderich and a town he loves. However, we do want to clarify a few inaccuracies and misunderstandings that were noted in the article. In regards to the facili- ties in Germany and Ala- bama, our facility couldn't be more different. The size of the building is much smaller than a football field. It is 268 square meters, a little larger than a residential house or a pole barn (an NFL football field is over 5,300 square meters). The Germany facility has 290MW of capacity and the Alabama facility has 226MW. Our facility is only 1.75 MW and will look nothing like those plants. Lastly, those facilities burn natural gas as a fuel, but we are building new technology that's fuel free; this facility uses only air and water and produces no greenhouse gas emissions. There seems to be a misunderstanding about the project - its not an Energy Generating Pro- ject; it is an energy storage project (which hasn't been canceled by the Ontario Energy Minister as stated). It takes unused energy off•the grid and then returns it to the grid when needed. It's about conser- vation, not generation. Regarding the environ- ment, which is the pur- pose for which our com- pany was established, the Ministry of Natural Resources confirmed the location of our project is well outside the regulated habitat of the cited endan- gered snake. And an independent biologist has confirmed it is not a sensitive environ- mental area. Most importantly, we've made every effort to be fully open and transpar- ent. We voluntarily con- ducted an open house and have provided direct con- tact information for any community members to reach out to us to discuss their questions or con - ceras. We still welcome that. We're absolutely dedi- cated to being a good Agreeing with Dr. Spacek Dear Editor, For many years I, along no doubt with millions of others, have been worried about the unseen effects of the use of nuclear energy on our world. Since economic benefits invariably overlie all deci- sions made by our politi- cians, any concerns indi- cating a good case against such decisions are ulti- mately diluted and dismissed. But Dr. Stan Spacek is right and I wish I had had his foresight and devoted my own time and energy to the research on this subject, which he undertook: the decision to approve the NRStor Project MUST be revoked. We all have a duty to our planet, let alone our beloved community, to neighbour and corpo- rate citizen, and we encourage anyone inter- ested to attend the Town Council meeting Mon- day where NRStor will present additional pro- ject details. NRStor has a vision to develop projects that are good for the environ- ment and our economy, and our success as a company rests on.our ability to successfully execute projects such as this one. We are dedi- cated to building rela- tionships with the town and the community members, as we have done with our other energy storage project in. nearby Minto, Ontario. Minto has been incredibly supportive of our efforts and welcom- ing in their community for a similarly sized energy storage project. We want the same open relationship with Goder- ich and it's residents. Fuel -free compressed air energy storage has the potential to become a big player in the mod- ernization of the electri- cal grid throughout the world, and we think it is exciting that two Ontario startup companies, NRStor and Hydrostor, along with the Town of Goderich can be the worldwide industry leaders. Sincerely, Annette Verschuren, O.C. Chair and CEO, NRStor, Inc. nurture and protect it now and as far into the future as we are able. We already live in peril- ous times - let us NOT imperil our selves and future life further by blind- ing ourselves with short- term economic gain at such a terrible cost. Sincerely, Joan I. Clark Goderich Koat Tales Kite -surfing season is upon us Dear Editor, As another spring kite - surfing season is upon us in beautiful Goderich, I would like to take this opportunity to share information about our beloved sport to try once again to put minds at ease about how safe it really is in a attempt to curb any unnecessary 911 calls. I just want to ensure that most in the sport wear life jackets and many are experienced in self -rescue techniques. There are many safety options available to each kiter; two -system ejects or releases if control of the kite has been lost. Some things will happen on occasion and are of lit- tle concern but may look "bad" from shore. We will crash on occasion, lose our boards and some- times we will have to body drag to the board or shore: The kites will hit the water and sometimes take a bit to re -launch. But we will get back up or in the event the kite will not re -launch, we swim to it and perform a self -rescue by laying on the inflated edge while using the wing as a sail to push us back to shore. We never kite on off- shore winds for this rea- son, as onshore winds always bring you back to shore eventually. It may appear like we have gone under from the shore because we are in between waves, but please keep in mind our kites are still in the aiz we are wearing life jackets and remain comfywarm in our dry -suits when it is cold. In reality no one will reach us if there is a serious prob- lem in time and we assume all responsibilities and risks each time we enter the water as with many sports. Having someone watch you from shore or another kiter out with you will not really help. The kiter is the only one who can save themselves with the techniques learned from kite lessons. Thank you for taking time to read and hopefully this information will help ease people's minds, as too many false alarms will harm our sport that we love to do from our beauti- ful beaches and hope you are entertained watching us crash from time to time. I hope all kiters who visit our beaches respect other people on the beach and their space when launch- ing and landing. Just the same, the people at the beach should respect the dangers of strings or kite mishaps and keep a safe distance as well, so every- one can enjoy this sport. Thank you. Duane Sole, Goderich LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Signal Star welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include the writer's full name, address, daytime phone number and signature (for verifi- cation). Anonymous letters will not be published. We reserve the right to edit all editorial submissions including letters for clarification, style and length. Letters must be signed and be in good taste and follow the laws of libel and slander.