Town Hall Comments Part 1

At the Town Hall meeting held Friday January 9th, State Senator Ted Ferrioli introduced himself to the crowd and passed a microphone around to hear everyone’s comments. What became clear was that this will affect far more than farming practices and the lives of those living under the transmission lines. “You’re well mannered for people who are so mad,” Ferrioli said.

Land values have already been affected. Rick Mendiva, a barber in Nyssa, has been paying for the past 15 years for a place on Gem Avenue. “My land’s gone,” he said. “I can’t put a pivot on it. They’re trying to make us go to pivots. It was supposed to be my retirement. I can’t divide it up like in Idaho, yet they’re willing to let Idaho Power come in and destroy my land.” Matt Ure, also on Gem Avenue, has family members with hyperacusis, an acute hearing condition that will be aggravated because of the constant hum of high-voltage wires.

The Davis family, who own property south of Adrian, runs cattle in the Owyhees near Succor Creek on BLM land. Lacey Davis said, “I don’t want to bring cows under the power lines because it makes my teeth ache.” She said John Davis parked his trailer under one of the towers of the PP&L line and was unable to touch it again because he kept getting shocked.

Ed McKinney owns County View Golf Course under one of the proposed routes. “I’m done if it comes here,” he said. “I just can’t operate a golf course with big towers there.”

Brent Richardson flies a spray plane in Malheur County. “Ground wires on these transmission lines are so low we can’t get the airplanes under them, and they‘re tall enough that east of Malheur Butte we can’t get over with a full load,” so anyone needing aerial spraying east of Malheur Butte will be out of luck. “I sure hope it doesn’t go in,” he said.

Bill Lawrence, retiring Vale Mayor said, “What happens to businesses if the Petersons can’t farm and the Kenningtons can’t dairy? What happens to the Coop? The real estate? The schools? It’s the entire county and it’s the cities.” Gary Boer’s property is under one of the alternate routes, but he maintained that “this should not just be not in my back yard, but in nobody’s back yard.”