Call the sheriff.
Call the sheriff.
Call the sheriff.
That’s the only advice Town of Sharon Supervisor Sandy Manko can offer Sakon Road farmer Stuart Salisbury, who can’t get to fields he rents there because of a trench left in the middle of the road by crews for the NextEra energy solar project.
Worse: the couple that rents the Salisburys’ dairy farm is starting to hear complaints from the milk hauler about the condition of the road.
“We need the road. We need to able to get there,” Mr. Salisbury told a beyond-frustrated Ms. Manko and councilmen Wednesday.
Because the road’s in such poor condition, the seasonal portion of it just beyond the Salisbury farm remains closed—even though it should have been open April 1.
“It’s just not safe,” said Highway Superintendent Bill Barbic, in a familiar refrain.
Sakon, off Route 10, is also Beech Road at the Route 20 end, across from the NextEra project; Beech is just as damaged—or worse.
Based on quotes he’s gotten, Mr. Barbic estimated the cost of repairing the two roads, along with Empie Road, on the other side of the project, across Route 20—also seasonal use—at about $1 million.
Under a still-unsigned road maintenance agreement—by NextEra—all roads are to be returned to their original condition when the work is done.
“Will they? I don’t know,” Mr. Barbic said. “I don’t know what kind of a mess they’ll leave,” or whether the rough estimate will go up even more.
Before Wednesday’s meeting, Ms. Manko said, she spent 1 ½ hours on the phone with the Department of Public Service, Ag & Markets, and DEC.
When she asked them what Mr. Salisbury should do, “they said, ‘I guess he’ll have to call the sheriff,’” she said.
“So my advice is: call the sheriff if you can’t access your road. The chairman of the Board [of Supervisors] will back you 100 percent.”
Matching Ms. Manko’s frustration, Mr. Salisbury said he had a meeting with NextEra crews a couple of weeks ago and they asked them to wait on getting to the fields—or go around through their farm fields.
“We need the road now,” he said. “We are contracted to supply the feed to the people renting our farm. This started two years ago. It’s hard enough to be a farmer…”
“It’s a state project,” said Ms. Manko. “We have no say,” even though they’ve been trying. “I don’t know what to tell you. This is the same as eminent domain.”
“They basically told us to pound salt,” added Mr. Barbic.
The end of construction will be just the start of rebuilding the roads, he said.
Councilman Bryan MacFadden, who works part-time in law enforcement, told Mr. Salisbury to call the sheriff and gave him the number: (518) 295-8114.
“Go through the process. Get it on the record,” he said.
The well at their farm continues to struggle, Mr. Salisbury said, and now others on the road are seeing issues with cloudy water in their wells too.
He has an attorney on standby, he said; it’s time to give him a call.