Down River 7/29

By John Lipez

REC Moving Forward:
The recent “rally” against the Renovo Energy Center project didn’t seem to move the needle to any degree.

Project opponents had to be disappointed with the turnout in support of their effort to stop the $1.5 billion natural gas-to-electricity proposal. For starters, the turnout was small, well under 100 based on the count by this seasoned crowd estimator. And not all that many of those in attendance were openly opposed to the project. In fact, in sifting through the crowd, Down River saw a lot more of Renovo area folks who support the project and/or were there to see what the opponents had to say.

Renovo borough council candidate Maureen Ruhl was something of a firebrand as the rally emcee. She likely didn’t score many points by openly attacking some of those in attendance, including a few who happened to be stakeholders in Renovo Rail, the company seeking to sell the old rail site to the energy project developers.

Whether they’re from Renovo or not, they became involved in the effort to attract industry to the plot across the tracks to bring jobs to the greater Renovo area. If they make a buck or two, or lose a few dollars through the extended effort to develop the old Pennsylvania Railroad site, their aim has been to economically help the struggling western Clinton County community.

Candidate/emcee Ruhl can attack them if she wants. However borough voters may not agree with her stance and can let their feelings be known in the November election (assuming there are sufficient candidates on the ballot to have a competitive race for council; if she should win, future council meetings could be challenging for all involved, given the current council has offered unqualified support for the project).

Rally supporters included at least a handful from Lock Haven and beyond, including environmentalists from Williamsport and Lewisburg. A freshly coiffed Michele Whitney, she of Clinton County Watchdog fame, was in attendance but kept a distance. There was something on the Watchdog website relative to the event prior to the July 17 rally, but Down River was not privy to that item, long ago barred from reading the renderings from Ms. Whitney, Mike Remick and friends (hard to have a dialogue on the issues when folks don’t allow you to see what they’re saying).

If you were scoring the rally, I’d call it a technical knockout for REC supporters. This is not to say there are not well intentioned, well informed and honorable environmental folks with legitimate concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, a few of whom were present on July 17. Yes, the world needs to make the transition from fossil fuels to wind and solar energy and yes, this is happening (there is a major solar panel project in the planning stages somewhere beyond Adam Waltz’s Westport backyard).

In the meantime state government has spent years studying the REC plans and its Department of Environmental Resources earlier this year gave its final okay for the project. Renovo Borough Council wants the project, economic officials from across Clinton County want the project. And based on the lack of opposition at the July 17 rally, the western Clinton County community at large favors the project.

The usually reticent Mike Flanagan, CEO of the Clinton County Economic Partnership, spoke for many with his retort to a charge from Ruhl about allegedly not returning her phone calls: “I have three words for you; ‘build the project.’ ” Agreed.

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The Fallon:
Have we been following the recent developments in the battle for the future of Lock Haven’s Fallon Hotel?
In case you missed it, the City of Lock Haven earlier this month obtained a court warrant to examine the decaying property on E. Water Street to determine if it is structurally sound and can be salvaged. All this while developer C & Q Investment Properties is making a belated and limited effort to provide some level of improvement, this coming in recent weeks after the property has remained virtually untouched since the C & Q folks agreed to purchase the building from Terry and Dolores Mantle of Jersey Shore better than two years ago.

A check at City Hall this week determined that the inspection results from the city visit are not yet available. It is understood that if there are any code violations, a “Notice of Violation” will be served; the property owner (the Mantles) is to whom the “NOV” will be issued and it remains with the property regardless of transfer of ownership until the violations are corrected.

In the meantime the C & Q organization has made some barebones improvements to the forlorn structure. Namely, doing some brick work on the Fallon’s adjacent and tiny one-story addition on its east side; at the same time disclosing plans to convert that appendage into a juice bar. With measurements of approximately 9 foot x 25 foot by 10 feet tall, it’s likely only small sized drinks will be available.

Meanwhile Down River has it on good source there is an out-of-the-area developer with designs on purchasing and restoring the Fallon to some level of its former grandeur. The Mantles at some point, it would appear, will have to decide to continue on with C & Q and its limited resources, or work with an opportunity from the City Redevelopment Authority to involve a legitimate developer with a track record to restore the Fallon.

C & Q’s had two years; time for somebody else to get it done.