Sticks and stones …My message seems lost on my latest critic.
My initial letter addressed concerns about the potential size of public debt being contemplated versus the disproportionately small population base being put at such large, in my view, risk. I included a worst case scenario with examples, one of which was the CHP/ORC co-gen bio-mass plant publicly acclaimed not only by CCLEP but also its commissioned study as the district-wide plant of choice.
Mr. Bottger now cast stones at the messenger for “grossly misrepresenting” for having picked their CHO/ORC and highest cost option. Most expensive determines worst case, which is what I was specifically pointing out. Besides, it is unserving of the public interest to gather endorsements for the highest cost while leaving its true expense unsaid and lurking in the back pages and small print.
Mr. Bottger’s call for volunteerism at this point is equally interesting considering all the closed door, notfor the-public and unadvertised meetings that have been ongoing for the last year or two. This project fulfills CCLEP’s need, not the public’s demand. It is a special interest’s venture.
If it should fail, the burden on our community could be large and would be shared by us all. A call to local experienced professionals at outset could have ensured success, but CCLEP by choice went elsewhere. To ask the intentionally excluded now to apply band-aids is humorous.
As to starry eyed? It is not uncommon to have the thrall of great ideas and best of intentions causing only the shiniest and brightest bits to prevail. When those however are cherry-picked from a self-commissioned study that by its own admission does not consider any drawbacks, I will leave it to Mr. Bottger to decide if starry-eyed is not the best I could have called it.
Personally, I wish to thank the News-Herald for their forbearance.
Vilnis Neilands
Grand Marais
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