Remove plant

from lakefront

Editor, OBSERVER:

Unfortunate as the closing of NRG might be, especially as it relates to our tax base, some high end job opportunities lost, and the impact on our cost/source of energy, let us not wallow in these moments of regret. The decision to close has been made.

It will be critical that the impressive community energy harnessed to support this company now be redirected to a movement of insistence that NRG act responsibly and remove the structure from our waterfront in as timely a manner as possible. No excuses. No further delay tactics.

John D’Agostino of the OBSERVER has referred to the defunct building as an albatross. Perfect description, which is a metaphor for a dead weight or burden not wanted. There it sits, a huge, ugly impotent hulk, marring Dunkirk’s otherwise beautiful waterfront.

While there may be some who envision reuse of the structure itself, in reality the property is toxic and clean up will be as costly as demolition, then there still stands Ugly. The costs of demolition and clean up falls to NRG, not to the taxpayers of the city or the county.

During an early rally to support the transition to cleaner natural gas, Sen. Catharine Young was a key cheerleader. She was asked at that time that if the deal fell through, would she be equally adamant about the removal of the albatross. She agreed to be, although at the time she had no doubts about the sincerity of the NRG intention to reopen. Now she states, with disappointment, that NRG has “put a dagger in the heart of the community”, due to their knowing delay in reactivating the plant.

Let us unite as citizens and elected officials as a force to pull out the dagger and demolish the plant, freeing up this prime real estate for clean redevelopment and get it back on the tax rolls as soon as possible. It is timely as we reconsider development of our waterfront and protection of the lake, our strongest asset.

HARRIET “SKEETER” TOWER,

Dunkirk

Newspaper hurt

repowering

Editor, OBSERVER:

The OBSERVER shares much of the blame in the failed repower project! The OBSERVER prints opinions from the left with no factual science.

I know. I worked in science. Wow, the OBSERVER helps sink Western New York.

TOM BATORSKI,

Angola