Home means different things to different people, but to most of us it means safety, security, the comfort of being yourself. When your home is threatened, you are threatened. Every part of your being becomes alert, stressed and ready for fight or flight. Flight is impossible for I cannot leave the home I love. Some will say I have only lived there for eight years, but I can tell you that it was my home when my great uncle had to sell the property in 1896, it was my home when my Dad was born nearby in the little white house next to the pond in Sugarloaf’s stronghold, it was my home during the Depression when as a young teenager my Dad watched his father suffer a terrible stroke and then lose the family farm in Comus, it was my home through my childhood in Barnesville and Dickerson and finally eight years ago I found my way home. My first view of our property was on a sunny winter afternoon in 1999 with the green fingers of crowfoot peeking from the light blanket of snow covering the floor of the forest. I was amazed at the variety of trees, shrubs, and mosses everywhere. I was struck by the tremendous beauty of the area. Then continuing to walk down a path trodden by all manner of wildlife we came to the cliff that towers above the clear waters of Urbana Branch rushing to join the fun in Bennett Creek. I have so many wonderful memories; of watching the Fox Hunt cross our land, galloping joyfully through the woods, not at all concerned about the fox, but loving the ride. I have seen a mother wild turkey bring her poulets out into the world of the forest, all excited and busily searching the underbrush for surprises. I have watched with amazement as my puppy, Keri, discovered a fawn camouflagued in the briars, waiting for her mom to return. And my heart always races with Tux, my Belgian Shepard as he leaps and glories in the chase, trying to herd the white-tailed deer. So why, you may ask, would I even consider leaving this home I love? My husband knows. He knows the tears I shed as I heard the trees scream as they were bulldozed down for our well path, he knows how I tasked contractor after contractor to leave more trees than they wanted to, he saw me run screaming as the road builder pushed a tree down with the roots raking my crowfoot. He says I could not live seeing and hearing the destruction of my beautiful forest, the forest we searched for almost twenty years, the forest we couldn’t afford, but I had to have, the forest where we sold off the field with road frontage to afford the back farm lot with its wonderful trees, and stream, and wildlife. Our property is long and narrow. Half of it with the stream and the cliff we think is safe. But what of the twenty acres of flat land? What of our walking paths, through the oak forest, down the hill through the birch trees, back on the ridge where the remnants of mountain laurel grow? What of the almost forty different varieties of Maryland trees? What of the animals and birds that call the forest home? Those are the areas marked for the stanchions. Where are we all to flee to when the forest is no more? |
The foundation of a brand new home sits abandoned
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My husband, Harry, and I own property in Upshur County, West Virginia. One of the proposed sites would cross our land and our three children’s land that has been in our family for 140 years. It will also cross our family cemetery that has been the final resting place for our loved ones for those 140 years. We have approached the Upshur County Commissioners to try and get them to take a stand against the Path, but so far unsuccessfully. We are trying to join fellow West Virginians to oppose the lines. I will never give up. I am a very determined person when it comes to something I love, like these West Virginia hills. We lived in Maryland for over ten years and I have two daughters currently residing in Westminster, MD. When we first moved to Maryland the county we lived in was rural with beautiful family farms and orchards. Now I can hardly recognize it with all the growth of urban sprawl. I cannot understand counties, and states for that matter, not trying to keep more land safe from greedy developers and people trying to make millions off the land. I am a big fan of the Tour de France and every year when I watch the cyclists start the journey into the French and Spanish countryside, especially the Alps, I am so jealous of the people who live in the small villages and hamlets. I see the beautiful countryside and the 14th century castles and I wonder why this country does not have the same desire to protect our beautiful country. I consider it our duty to keep it clean and green for future generations. My children and husband call me a tree hugger. I would not let them cut very many trees when we built our home twenty-five years ago. My ancestors probably had a difficult time making a living out of this land, but make a home they did. When I walk on our property I have a great appreciation for their hard work. When I was a child, the deer were not abundant in our area but now we have a wonderful herd of about twenty or so. We have a family of black bear that have roamed our area for about two years now. The coyote pass through every year starting in the fall. We have turkey galore, red headed woodpeckers that keep me company during the day, and a great horned owl that awakens me around 3:00 a.m. most mornings. These are just a few of the animals and birds that I have grown to love. My husband is an engineer and since our marriage we have moved several times, but we always had our home to come back to and now that we are partially retired, we planned to spend the rest of our days enjoying the beauty that God has so blessed us with and we want to be good stewards of the land he has given us. Someday the final resting place of our worldly bodies will be the cemetery where our ancestors have lain for over 140 years. That’s what we thought. Now everything has changed and we have to worry about having a home at all. We have one grandson graduating from Marquette University in May of 2009, one grandson attending University of Maryland and one granddaughter in her first year at Marshall University in WV. We also have four grandchildren still in elementary school. I consider them my legacy and know we will not have the land to leave them if the power company and the greed of so many in WV power have their way’ I feel that not only are we going to lose our natural treasures, but we are going to lose all of our people that have hopes and dreams and that contribute to all that is beautiful in our world. My neighbor and I have even gone so far as to promise each other that if and when they come to decimate our land we will chain ourselves to the beautiful, hundred year old oak tree that joins our property. As for me, you can share any part of my story that you would like. |
A cemetery has lain peaceful and quiet in the West Virginia hills, |
Numbers! Numbers! Numbers! Think about numbers! Power flows in, So what’s for Maryland? 86% flowing north to the shore Numbers! Numbers! Let’s look at those numbers! Guaranteed profit in Allegheny’s pocket How about us, the citizen asks? Numbers! Numbers! This is all about numbers!
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Power lines on Sugarloaf I am very much in favor of burying the power lines that need to go through the Sugarloaf Mountain area. I am not sure it is possible to explain to the the power company how much this area means to those who make their home here or to those, like me, don’t own property near Sugarloaf Mt. but wish they did. I have a 200 acre farm in the Pocono Mountains that is very nice but if I could I’d trade it in a minute for a 50 acre farm near Sugarloaf. The area is full of history and so many acres of land for us to enjoy our outdoor pursuits. While I enjoy riding my horse through the area with my friends others hike, bike, picnic or hunt. All are lovely pursuits. The power lines do not add to our enjoyment although we recognize that we all consume power. If there is any possible way to buy the power lines I would pay more for power to make it happen. Lets do everything we can (even pay more for power) if it means we can preserve the land and leave it for our children’s children to enjoy. Respectfully, Lynn Martin |
I think I can speak for the vast majority of folks in the Kempton area since we are in touch with many and helping with effort to oppose the substation. We found out about this in late May and by chance. A first look at the web site aerial views was extremely complicated for most; I noticed that the junction was shown as a little box that was nicely tucked away from all neighborhoods. Not only do we feel that ample notice as not given, but to not show the true size of the substation in the aerial views seems very conspicious. That combined with the fact that the web site required pretty good engineering skills to navigate, even though PATH is claming to be very open about all plans. |
| We found out about PATH with a phone call from Buzz Macintosh who indicated the PATH would cut across our property. That was the first we heard of an alternative route. Jerry |
| We got a post card from Sugarloaf Conservancy regarding the path and Allegheny Energy's plans. David |
I live in a 20+ year old subdivision off Bartholows Road. (Stonelake is the name of it, but there is no actual sign at the two entrances saying that.) Our property backs to/adjoins the approx 155 (?) acre farm that was purchased by Alleghany for additional power lines and the "Kemptown Substation". I had heard vague things, in short articles in the local "free distribution" papers and just hearsay from others that power lines would maybe be being "added onto" the existing towers/lines already behind us on the farm. I think in Nov or Dec 2008 is when I heard this. This past spring (2009) I heard about studies being done in other areas and that the lines may go there, with a substation being at the end of the line in Kemptown. (Kemptown is an area a maybe 3-5 miles from here, not in our sight area. I have a Mount Airy address and there are homes near us that have Monrovia addresses. So when I hear Kemptown- none of us think of us then.) I heard nothing about a substation going in on the property behind me until May 22, 2009 when a friend who lives in West Oak Fields (subdivision across road from actual "Kemptown Substation" site) notified me of an orange flyer she'd gotten in her mailbox that claimed the farm had been sold to Allegheny (!!) and that a larger than the norm substation was in the works to be put up (!!!). A few days later I received the orange flyer in our mailbox, which some residents of Bradford Estates (many people there also adjoin and/or will see the targeted area) had made to notify the surrounding subdivisions. |
Our property directly abuts the farm property that was sold to AP where they are talking about putting the Kemptown Substation. I don’t recall exactly when, but sometime in the middle of this past winter I saw several folks in orange vests walking just on the other side of our property line on the farm. I approached them and asked what they were doing. It was obvious that they were surveying for something, but they were very clear that they could say nothing about what they were doing, who they were doing it for, or any information about what was going on. It was some time later that we finally heard what it was they were doing there. It’s very clear to me that AP was doing everything they could NOT to let folks in the area know what was going on in regards to the purchase of the farm. I thought you might be interested in our personal experience with the issue of disclosure. If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact me. |
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