NORWICH – Christmas Eve always meant that much more to Rick and Betsy Mahannah – exactly 30 years ago today they moved into their house in Woods Corners.
But Christmas hasn’t felt the same since March 2006 when New York Regional Interconnect Inc. announced its plan to build a power line less than 50 feet from their back porch, the Mahannahs admit.
“It’s a cloud over the holiday,” said Betsy. “You wonder where you’ll be next year. It’s a sick, sad feeling we have in our hearts.”
If the line is eventually built – it would run along the New York Susquehanna & Western railroad tracks behind the Mahannah’s house – Rick and Betsy say they’d be left without any choices.
“We couldn’t live here anymore,” she said. “Even if they didn’t force us out using eminent domain, the house would be as good as condemned. Medically it would be unsafe and the property value would be worth nothing with that power line in our backyard. We couldn’t live there and no one would buy it. It feels like we’re being pushed out the door of our own house and we may not get a blessed penny.”
Whatever happens, Betsy says she, Rick and grandson Josh don’t want to fear the unknown anymore.
“We would just like to see it resolved,” she said. “One way or the other.”
It doesn’t look like it will be resolved anytime soon. Well into its second year, NYRI’s bid to run a 400,000 volt transmission line from Utica to Orange County is essentially no closer to being approved or denied than it was the day it started. That’s because the company has yet to complete its official permit application as ordered in July 2006 by the state’s power line authority, the Public Service Commission (PSC).
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