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Home My WebLink AboutTimes-Advocate, 1985-09-18, Page 10Page 10 Times -Advocate, September 18, 1985 RIGHT THROUGH OUR FARM — Hay township dairy farmers Glen and Margaret Neeb (left) point out to Reeve Lionel Wilder how the proposed Plan 7 route will slice through their farm. All were atten- ding an information day in the Zurich Community Centre hosted by Ontario Hydro. TALKING — Zurich Councillor Keith Westlake, standing beside an aerial map, talks to Ontario Hydro officials about how their Plan 7 route would affect the village. He was attending an information day hosted by Ontario Hydro in the Zurich Community Centre. Speak at two Zurich sessions Nydro offiehils Rick Campbell, a member of On- tario Hydro's community relations department now with route and site selection, was a guest of the Zurich Chamber of Commerce at their September meeting in the Dominion Hotel. Campbell gave a brief outline of past, present and future events in OH's goal of getting power from the Bruce nuclear plant to feed the Lon- don area, and strengthen the power system where it interconnects with Michigan. He said the Bruce plant will be completed by January 1987, and present facilities are inadequate to carry the power out. In the mean- time, the cost of burning coal is $200,000,000 per year, and a side effect is the tons of acid gas being produced. Hearings on proposed routes will begin in October. OH will present its evidence in favour of Plan 7, and the members of the Consolidated Hearing Board will then travel to the affected communities. Time will be allowed for appeals of the Board's decision, and the provincial cabinet will have final say. Campbell said OH hopes to begin construction in 1988, if the Plan 7 route is approved, andproceededto supply details of how lines are built. He said the first leg, from the Bruce plant south, would employ up to 250 people, with 25 percent of that number drawn from local union halls. There would be subcontracts for clearing bush, hauling aggregate and moving heavy equipment. Accommodating the workers would mean more business for motels and restaurants. Campbell said OH would try to minimize the impact on agriculture by aligning a route along a boundary, straddling fences and ditches. Where towers have to be built in a field, the narrow -based ones are constructed at an additional cost of $70,000 each. He pointed out that when the line from Milton was built, cutting of bush meant that more land was put into production than was taken out. Campbell said tests have proven sophisticated equipment can be operated under the lines, irrigation is not affected, the voltage from -a toaster or hair dryer is much higher than standing under a conductor, and cattle have no objection to grazing under power lines. In fact, OH has pictures of cows rubbing against towers. Turning to compensation, Campbell said property owners will receive 75 percent of market value for right-of- way (land title remains with the farmer), plus an allowance for each tower on the escalating scale, plus payment for injurious effect which covers factors such as crop loss, soil compaction and loss of buildings. Jim Love, the Hay Township representative on the Foodland Hydro committee which is opposed to a line through Bruce, Huron and Middlesex counties, spoke up to say he thought "it is terrible for OH to come in and offer so little to cross land". He said land is taken out of production for two years, and payment should be ad- justed yearly to allow for inflation. Hay Reeve Lionel Wilder, another guest at the meeting, commended Campbell for his salesmanship abilities, but said he wished some of that talent had been used to prevent the M3 plan from being squashed. Reaching even further back, he com- pared the choice of the Bruce site to building a house in Hay township and putting the garage in Stanley. "All we're getting are the towers, and not the service", he remarked. Chamber member Anson McKinley spoke up to say "someone in Guelph decides without talking to me. They should talk to me first, not last". Wilder was also concerned that if Plan 7 goes through, cutting bush on the proposed route from the Zurich lagoon to Exeter would accelerate wind erosion problems already being experienced in that area. He sug- gested moving the line east, and sacrificing some natural resources as the price of saving some bush. Campbell said tough judgments and trade-offs have to be made at every stage. The Board will hear all arguments. McKinley wanted to know who does the land appraisals. Campbell said in- dependent real estate appraisers are hired. Doug McBeath was told lack of technology and prohibitive costs ruled out lakebed or underground cables. Campbell confirmed Robert Westlake's assumption that the Plan 7 route would in effect stop the eastward expansion of the village of Filter Queen "IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN VARNA" 482-7103 face questlons • Zurich. Westlake said the economic effects meant a short-term gain but long-term disadvantages, and the line will provide other] with power while the Zurich area has been having "significant power outages." Referring to compensation negotia- tions, Jim Love wanted to know why owners could not be dealt with as a group, instead of pitting one against another. Campbell replied that the law of the marketplace dictates deals with individual landowners. Campbell told McKinley that one of the provin- cial boards will appoint an indepen- dent arbitrator. Though those who attended the meeting engaged in a lively debate with OH representative, the matter of a power corridor through this area is of little concern if attendance was any criterion. 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