History to play a large role in NYRI opposition

NORWICH – They may not be considered the prettiest in some academic circles, but that doesn’t mean the historic sites of Chenango County aren’t significant, says Jessie Ravage.

Several of those significant areas – like the old Chenango Canal, the New York Susquehanna and Western railroad bed and a host of rural landscapes and structures resting along the Chenango River Valley – could be altered by New York Regional Interconnect Inc.’s 400,000-volt power line.

Ravage, a Historic Preservation Consultant from Cooperstown, has been hired by the citizens group “Stop NYRI” to compile an overview of local historic places that lie within the energy developer’s proposed route.

Stop NYRI hopes her research will add one more argument against building the power line through Upstate’s countryside.