STORIES PAGE
NiMo
If I could give a decent wage to the hours I have spent because of NiMo, I would be a rich man. My very first experience was really my grandfather’s. First, NiMo was terrible on our side of the Pond. There were frequent outages, spikes that ruined appliances, spoiled food, and many, many excuses. To add insult to injury, whenever there was an outage, you could see lights still showing across the Pond.
Once up on a time, many years ago, NiMo moved their utility
pole closer to my grandfather’s little house trailer (8x35) at Sandy Pond. It
happened in the fall after my grandfather had closed and winterized camp. He did
not know until the following spring. The pole was 20 feet onto his property and
had guy wires where he normally parked. One guy wire was almost under his
trailer, and the main wires now went overhead this aluminum trailer. It also had
a buzzing transformer. He called and complained. They told him they were sorry,
but they had an easement. He should have let his concerns be known then. They further told him that now relocation was not possible.
My grandfather passed away and my grandmother later sold
the property to me. I admit the price was right price. (That is another story)
While my grandmother was alive I changed nothing. When she finally joined my
grandfather I decided to replace the small house trailer with one twice its
size. It was a tight fit.
When NiMo became involved, they said that I should not place the new trailer
under the power lines. I laughed, (it was already there) I told them they were on my property illegally
and they should reroute their lines. I would even give them a legal right of way. They
told me, as they did my grandfather, that they had a right of way. I contacted
the public service commission in Oswego. NiMo had sent a copy of a right of way
for the other side of the Pond. Next they sent me a right of way for the
roadside of County Rt. 15. Finally they sent the correct easement for the wires.
It was for along the north side of the road leading to my property. It ended at
my property. Their copy showed it as such. There copy proved my case.
They said that the power lines had always passed over that property, even before my grandfather owned it. Once again I did some investigation. I went through old pictures and movies, and finally found a old black and white 8mm movie showing the original pole with all lines ending before it reached my grandfather’s property. After all of that, they would still do nothing. The Public Service Commission, who also used the easement as an excuse, would also do nothing. They said I still had no recourse.
Why didn’t they
tell me this originally?
Since the original power lines, there is now a Primary, telephone, cable, and a relocated power line to my neighbors that now goes over and is low enough to touch. They have trimmed my trees that interfere with their lines. Whenever there is work above, there is a mess below.
When I moved to St. Lawrence County from the Southern tier, my new home had NiMo and electric heat. (My wife loved the house, what could I do?) The second year I switched to gas. I saved enough with gas that year to pay for the furnace, the chimney (stainless), with enough left over to pay the following year’s gas bill.
I attended a town board meeting of local people complaining about NiMo Yes, I was one of the first to approve and become a member of the
committee to get Municipal power for the Norfolk NY area.
To make a long story shorter, it soon became an
organization for a large portion of St. Lawrence County to go Municipal and was
backed by the Wing organization.
No, municipal power isn’t here yet, but even if it never happens, I played an important roll.
Who knows? If they had moved that pole for me originally,
maybe I would not have joined that committee. Maybe the original vote that
barely passed, would not have. Maybe NiMo would not have spent and continue to
spend the moneys they no longer can afford. I
like to think so.
Mark one up for the little guy.
Two final comments:
1. After we had chosen to go Municipal, Niagara started their campaign to show why they there were the better choice. They advertised through out this area of their expertise and efficiency. For additional questions from the public they created a special phone number to answer any questions.
I
was curious. I called the number with a few questions. It in turn placed me on
hold for another number. The real person answering this call placed me on hold. Another
person came on the line, who had me call another number. It was the first number I called. I called and let it go through another cycle. I still laugh when I
think about it. So much for NiMo efficiency.
3. NiMo was purchased by National Grid. (They as worse) At least NiMo would trim the trees when there was a danger.
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