This is reposted from February 2007 because of the events going on in Japan.
During the last election campaign there was talk by some candidates about finding ways to stimulate the economy of eastern Connecticut particularly in the quiet corner. The growing industry of bio-fuel production has often been mentioned which still requires combustion of fuels and a lot of Round-Up Ready to heat and drive motors. I think that Woodstock should consider a giant leap into the future and construct a nuclear power plant. After all, the Millstone nuclear power plant in New London contributes $585 million to the state’s economy and more than $1.1 billion to the U.S. economy, including labor income of $174.5 million. Millstone generates half of the state’s electricity production so half is left for Woodstock to produce. I don’t think that there have been any new nuclear power plants constructed since the 70′s. Yet these plants produce no polluting waste other than those pesky rods – no sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide or carbon dioxide like the fossil fuel plants that produce the other 50% of our electricity. I was reading yesterday that the USS Eisenhower, our nuclear aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, can run for 17 years without refueling, and this craft produces all of its potable water from the sea using the same ‘nucules.’
If we were to embark on this bold step, then Woodstock could become the focus of the entire state and nation for taking matters into our own hands, especially in light of our unique Prop 46. We could call it ‘Turkey Point’ or ‘Fox Creek’, names used by other eco-friendly nuclear power plants… or how about ‘Swamp Yankee Vernal’ after our revolutionary fathers. There are lots of large tracks of land in town to build the plant. I favor a high profile place like the Fairgrounds where everyone can view the majesty of the silos on a daily basis… and these grounds already have a fence put up for security.
I can think of many benefits to having nuclear power at our doorstep. First and foremost, the town could stipulate that electricity would be supplied to all Woodstock residents for free and that the power plant fund all of our schools and infrastructure through a tax of the business. Every one could then switch to electric heat reducing our dependence on oil and propane or natural gas, and wood-burning stoves. Also, the Academy could continue to keep its lights on all night without passing this cost on to the taxpayers of Woodstock. Another immediate benefit would be the dismantling of those outdoor furnaces that are popping up around Woodstock poisoning the air with smoke particles and carbon monoxide. I was surprised to see the huge outdoor furnace on the property of the Ebenezer Stoddard House on Perrin Road sitting close to a neighbor’s house. Isn’t there a law against this? Another benefit would be that our hardwood trees would not be sacrificed for Yule logs thus permitting expansion of our forests.
The presence of a nuclear power plant in Woodstock would have other major benefits as well. Many of us could seek employment in town at the plant and garner higher salaries. We could also emphasize the educational benefits for the town schools with special courses at the Academy, Hyde, and the K-8 system in nuclear physics and radiation health. I’m sure many would say ‘How horrible! But I doubt that nuclear power plants stink like the Miller Farm.
Most people think that radiation is dangerous, but I would be willing to bet that antique stores have more gamma-emitters and electron daughters than we would find escaping from our new power plant. Although it doesn’t detect gamma radiation just take a Geiger counter into one of those antique shops in Putnam and you will hear it clicking off-scale because of the fission products (electron decay products) of uranium, cobalt, and chromium on the shelves in the form of depression era plateware and pottery stained with uranyl dyes (orange and yellow), and cobalt (blue) and chromium (green) glassware. I used to take my students at the Pauling Institute to the antique shops of Palo Alto as lesson number one in radiation safety much to the chagrin of the store proprietors. I always revelled in the noisy ratta-tat-tat of the Geiger counter as I moved closer to the radioactive source, and attracted the attention of the all of the patrons in the store.
Just think about the residential crisis of over-development in Woodstock. If we had a nuclear power plant in town, outsiders may think twice about moving here. Perhaps also local companies like American Integrated Biologics (written up in the Villager last Friday), a glorified name for ‘experimental animal farm’, might move out to avoid the possibility of radiation messing up their experiments. If radiation actually escaped, we could set up an early warning system through the fire department sirens to warn residents of any problem at the power plant. Another added benefit would be the flyovers of Air force stealth fighter jets practicing to defend our country against attack. We could arrange for these flyovers to occur at halftime over the new Academy football stadium just like the ones at West Point, the Naval Academy, and the Air force Academy… and the Centaurs could become the ‘rockets’ or ‘rads’ or ‘guided missiles’ or the “Friday Night Northern Lights” etc, etc, etc… .
John
I too have driven by the Stoddard House on Perrin Road. I can’t believe that the Planning and Zoning Commission or the Building Dept. approved a permit for this very large outdoor furnace. It sits very close to the neighbor’s house devaluing their property. I feel sorry for them. Is there anyone that actually follows through on such building permits or does Woodstock even care?
Lets not stop with a nuclear power plant. Lets get more genetic experiment facilities, maybe a super-max prison. And a low level nuclar waste dump. How about a biomedical incineration plant? Trash-to-energy? Sludge-to-fish-food?
Before you know it, we’ll be Lousiana! We already have their school spending! Anything to keep those taxes down and those godless liberals at bay!!!!
I don’t want to stifle the creativity, but… While John Guskowski was Woodstock’s Town Planner, he did suggest a prison as a possible source of revenue. Turns out there is some verbage somewhere that specifically precludes just that. The scary ‘PS’ to this is that Mr. G has been hired by CME. Just wondering about how that came to be.
Mr. G hired by CME?? Worse than the revolving door in Washington DC. When are the Woodstock boards going to hire a new engineering team to better protect our interests- rather than “Design Professionals”- who have consistently demonstrated their incompetence – and continue to be retained!!
We do have a prison in town. It’s called American Integrated Biologics (Yuk!). It’s a prison (pardon me…boarding house) for experimental animals. Companies out-source this activity because of the stigma of animal abuse. And companies like AIB usually place themselves in backwater towns to maintain a low profile.
What about 55+ Housing? Taxpayers without school age kids!
Hey, “Taxpayer”, kids and families are the fabric of America and life in general. But you could limit the influx by doing a few things: P&Z should make builder’s lots 5 acres minimum- NO- WAIT, then they would make less money, NO- WAIT, then the children of all the cheap skates couldnt afford to buy into this town. We cant have our cake and eat it too.
I agree with you Focus, but spare me the cliches. 55+ housing is just one smart option that is a win-win. When I’m older I may want to downsize and this would allow me to stay in Woodstock. I wasn’t suggesting that we not let families in, but a mix may be more prudent.
Taxpayer, do you REALLY want to get the builders to start with the tract housing? How about more lower income housing? And how does that translate into taxes? Rentals dont pay “taxes”.
Focus, You really need to start focusing before you make assumptions. Read again what I wrote and then tell me how you misinterpreted my statements to imply that i want tract housing or low income housing. There is quite lovely high end senior housing that is being built now a days that could easily blend in with the rural environs. Senior/55+ housing is not rental property. They are individual properties bought and sold as part as a senior “village” if you will. Often on golf courses, they offer many luxurious amenities. The beauty is that 55+ folks still pay taxes but don’t have kids that attend the school systems.
However, in most cases seniors moving into 55+ housing vacate homes that in many cases are the kind that are attractive to home buyers who have kids and are looking to get into that kind of home stock. So, the final result of promoting 55+ housing may be more kids and higher education costs, although unintended.
The better approach is to preserve open space and not build anything on it. That has the guaranteed benefit of not using that space to increase the number of students in our schools, while preserving the rural character of the town, increasing the value of all homes. This is why it is a no-brainer to support the purchase of development rights from the Kowal farm and to continue to fund the account in the budget that will allow for future opportunities to do the same kind of open space preservation in other areas of our town.
Whether or not there are 55+ housing units built the same number of three or four bedroom houses remain. Those homes either did, do or will have children in them. If the present owners die or move the same number of houses remain. The good thing with 55+ housing is they pick up the sellers that continue to pay taxes, at a reduced burden, to the town. The total number of students would, in theory, remain the same.
The need for this and other area towns is affordable housing, ones that our children can afford. Homes that will increase the desireability of Woodstock for seniors that don’t want to maintain the large homes anymore. It’s up to the likes of QPQ to insure that the town grows evenly and in a well planned manner for all, not just the wealthy and over mortgaged trust fund babies. The town has desireable properties that would be suited for good planning and not just the exclusion or elimination of proper development.
The 55+ project on Butts road will be a positive for the town, it’s to bad we couldn’t have gone that direction at the Beechs’ too.
Oh, before I forget do we all remember the State looking at Woodstock for the possibility of being a nuke waste repository? It really was on the table at one time. Scarry huh?
I agree in theory that 55+ housing attracts occupants that do not put an additional burden on the school system. However, some of the research I’ve run across indicates that often an unintended consequence is that 55+ residents, already residing in the community, give up their family (3-4 bdrm) homes and move into the ‘new’ 55+ housing. This allows these older residents to downsize and still remain in the community. Unfortunately, their family homes are then filled with families and there is an increased demand on educational services.
Becki, the 3-4 BR homes exist. They had children in them. The educational services handled those children that were raised there, the burden existed. Unless new homes are constructed with 3-4 BR’s the educational burden potentially remains the same as before, whether 55+ housing is created or not. These are assumptions of all 3-4 BR homes being filled with children too.
The 55+ housing does offer a potential for alot of good to happen. If the residents are active volunteers and are involved with youth or other needs of the town, down sizing should give them some time to offer to these activities.
I also know that the growth of the Town in inevitable. As a mother and taxpayer I would like to see all of the options depleted on the existing homes (by offering 55+ housing) before allowing unconstrained growth of 3-4 BR developments.
I also don’t believe that the present regulations and the open space, dead end street projects that the P&Z covet are the answer. Taking “fee in lieu of” allows the Town to save for the specific purchase of important tracts property. The 50% give back is a waste that creates little pockets of untaxed, unusable land all over Town. Remember a conventional sub-division requires each lot to be 2 1/2 acres of buildable land minimum.