1-30-06
Corinth Residents,
Message from the Mayor & Village Board:
As we wish to keep the public informed on important issues, especially with
regard to Philmet and the former IP property, we offer the following:
As of this date, Philmet has not given us any specific details regarding their plans
for the property. Philmet has spoken of an energy component, without specifying
exactly what that component would be. There have been rumors of cheese
factories, gasification plants, tissue paper mills, etc. Philmet will only say
they are in ongoing negotiations with numerous industries, and promise that it
will be good for our community. The
only specific plan Philmet has stated thus far is their desire to bring outside
paper sludge to the existing landfills. They promise to immediately hire a
workforce if this is approved, and state that this is the financial catalyst
needed for them to refurbish the existing buildings for future industrial
tenants. Although we have concerns, our
Village Board has not taken a public position on this issue as the landfills
are located outside of the village in the Town Boards jurisdiction.
There is a misconception that the Village Board is opposed to Philmet
developing their property. This could not be further from the truth. We will wholeheartedly
support any industry that is proven to be safe for our community and we are
desirous of the jobs and increased tax base that would result. We will keep an
open mind as we wait to see what industries Philmet ultimately proposes.
There is also a misconception that the Village Board has not been cooperative
with Philmet. Again, this is untrue. Since Philmet purchased the IP property in
September, we have consistently asked them for an open line of communication,
and have asked that they call, email or visit us on a regular basis. We have
given them our work and home phone numbers to call anytime they wish.
Philmet has met in scheduled meetings with committees from our Village and Town
Boards on Dec 7th, 2005, Jan 10th , 2006, and Jan 12th. Philmet representatives
subsequently stated , as we did, that we were pleased with the substance of
both of these meetings. Both meetings focused on our mutual desire for safe
industry in Corinth, the need for cooperation, and better communication. We
have invited Philmet representatives to come to our board meetings and
suggested that they consider addressing the public at more open forums.
On the issue of the proposed moratorium, we spoke with Philmets attorney, Ed
Burnbaum, in early January, explaining that the proposed moratorium would focus
on waste to energy type industries. Ed
stated that Philmet would not object, as they had no plans for a waste to
energy facility. In a gesture of cooperation and fairness, we have even
supplied a copy of the proposed moratorium for their review and asked for their
comments. Samuel Meth and Ed Burnbaum said they would review the draft moratorium
and get back to us. Shortly thereafter, we received another letter from their
new attorneys stating that they reserve the right to sue the village if we pass
any moratorium. Instead of addressing the
specifics of the moratorium language, their new attorneys proposed a resolution
for our boards consideration, which did not address the issues in the moratorium,
and would have given the village little leverage if unfavorable industry was
proposed. So far, we have been left with little choice but to consider the
protection of a moratorium. We at the Village Board extend the olive branch to
Philmet, and we request their mutual cooperation demonstrated by actions, not
just words. We will continue to do our part to meet Philmet halfway. It will be a win-win situation for Philmet and
Corinth if we can work openly and honestly together.
Sincerely,
Brad Winslow, Mayor
Leigh Lescault, Deputy Mayor
Melanie Denno, Trustee
Pauline Densmore, Trustee
Jack Woods, Trustee
