Transmission line to cross Hounsfield

The town that's getting the financial benefits of the proposed Galloo Island Wind Farm likely also will get one major drawback - the need to provide a route for a transmission line.

Hounsfield is now the likely site for landfall so the transmission line from the 252-megawatt project can avoid southern Jefferson County and Oswego County, and the need for eminent domain.

That was a stumbling block for some county legislators on their way to approving the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement for the on-island portion of the proposed Galloo Island Wind Farm. The approval was given Tuesday night, along with a resolution to support a route ending at the National Grid substation on outer Coffeen Street in the town of Watertown.

Originally, Galloo Island developer Upstate NY Power Corp. proposed a 50.6-mile line that would make landfall at Stony Point in Henderson, then turn south through Ellisburg, Sandy Creek and Richland to connect to a larger line in Mexico. That route was greeted with vocal opposition that became part of the reasoning cited by those against the PILOT agreement.

"There was a very strong feeling on the part of the county that this was an important issue," attorney W. James Heary told the board of the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency on Thursday morning.

He said the developer now will adopt a route ending at the Coffeen Street substation as the preferred path. That route also will receive backing from the county in negotiations with the state Public Service Commission, which will decide the most appropriate route.

"The preferred route is generally adopted by the PSC," Mr. Heary said.

He said the route would cross Hounsfield to the Coffeen Street substation. The developer also would bear the cost of some major capacity upgrades at the substation. Some county legislators saw the infrastructure improvement as a huge boon and used that as an additional argument for the route.

From the substation, the line would use an existing right of way along Interstate 81 to connect with the grid in Oswego County.

"The right of way would increase marginally, about 25 feet, on each side," Mr. Heary said. "There would be no condemnation involved."

But, officials said Thursday, at least one question remains:

"How to get across Hounsfield - that's not sure," Mr. Heary said.

JCIDA Chairman Urban C. Hirschey said, "The question of eminent domain has not been resolved, then."

So far, town officials do not know much about the potential route, but they welcome the line.

"We've been saying since it began a year or two ago, 'Too bad it's not running through Hounsfield, so we didn't have to impose on our neighbors,'" Councilman Stephen H. Lee said.

He said he has a gas line right of way, cell phone tower and transmission line on pieces of his farm's property.

"I would have no problem with it if they wanted to come across my land," he said.

He and Sackets Harbor Mayor F. Eric Constance said the town residents would welcome the additional revenue from the fully taxed transmission line.

"I doubt it would pass through the village," Mr. Constance said. "I think it's a good thing from the standpoint of improving the infrastructure. It's more than just the wind farm. It will be helping the north country with power requirements for the future."

The exact location of landfall may be tricky, because the shoreline is lined with cottages and homes, but Mr. Lee said, "There's a lot of open space and I think the people who own property in the town would want to have it."