Apex continues to generate suspicion

On Sept. 10, Paul Williamson of Apex appeared before the town board in Yates, proud to announce that finally, after more than four years, a preliminary project layout for the Lighthouse Wind project would be presented on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. Unbelievably, it was also announced that this great public unveiling would not be in Yates or Somerset but at the Ridgeway fire hall on Route 104 in Medina. A subsequent letter was presented to the Yates and Somerset town boards which confirmed those details.

At the Yates town board meeting, Supervisor Simon asked Mr. Williamson why this important meeting was not being held in one of the two affected towns. Mr. Williamson responded that a facility was needed which could accommodate up to 250 to 300 people. Mr.

Simon then asked whether the Lyndonville or Barker school districts and the Barker Fire Company had been asked if their facilities were available, all of which could accommodate a crowd of this size.

Mr. Williamson responded that these facilities were not available on a convenient date. Upon further questioning regarding a suitable date, Mr. Williamson stated that these facilities in Yates and Somerset were all asked for permission to hold this meeting, and that Apex was denied use of these facilities.

On Sept. 12, the Somerset town board held its regular monthly meeting. Mr. Williamson was not present at this meeting, but it was reported that he provided the town clerk a letter from Apex from which Supervisor Engert read, advising of the date and location of the informational meeting in Medina.

Present at the Somerset meeting was Supervisor Simon of Yates, who advised the Somerset town board that no facility in the Lyndonville school district was asked to host the Lighthouse Wind informational meeting. Also present at this meeting were persons from the town of Somerset who advised the board that they had contacted the Barker fire company and the Barker school district, only to learn that they too had not been asked to host this meeting.

One is left to wonder what would motivate Mr. Williamson to so blatantly engage in a lie which was so easily uncovered, and what his motivation is for attempting to host this informational meeting at a location outside the towns of Somerset and Yates.

One need only read the recent two mailings from Apex to the public to realize this is not the only lie Apex has told the public over the past four years. These statements of mistruth at the Yates board meeting and in the mailings bring into question the validity of Lighthouse Wind’s Public Involvement Program, an essential element of the Article X process. Every statement Apex makes regarding this project must be viewed with a great deal of skepticism.