Hammond panel tweaks leadership

HAMMOND — The Hammond Wind Committee has decided a joint chairmanship will work better for the group than appointing another facilitator after David B. Duff, former facilitator, resigned during Monday's committee meeting.

Mr. Duff resigned Monday from several groups after police reported finding several marijuana plants growing on his town of Macomb property. Mr. Duff also resigned from his seats on the Macomb town Planning Board and the St. Lawrence County Planning Board, a position he has held since 1997.

The marijuana plants were discovered last week on Mr. Duff's South Woods Road property by the St. Lawrence County Drug Task Force and state police, police said. No arrests have been made.

"The wind committee has decided not to have a facilitator at this point," town Supervisor Ronald W. Bertram said after Monday evening's meeting. "Ron Papke, Rudolph Schneider and Michele McQueer are presently a co-chairmen committee to plan agendas and future meetings."

Mr. Duff's resignation does not alter the committee's schedule, according to Mrs. McQueer, who said committee members "knew when the town board passed the moratorium for one year that December was a deadline."

She said that agendas will be more precise and that the committee will have a "more positive outlook for a full recommendation."

Ronald R. Papke agreed that December is the target, but said Tuesday that committee members are now realizing the complexities of the issues.

"I think now we're realizing the extent of our commitment," Mr. Papke said. "It's not a complete and total failure, though, if we're not done by December 15. It could be January 10. We may be finished by Thanksgiving."

Mr. Papke said a group of five or six volunteers will meet with Charles E. Ebbing, an acoustics specialist from the town of Orleans, on Sept. 9.

"Our time with Chuck will give us a little bit of a feel for the background sound levels in town," he said, adding that the committee was looking for "material differences between wind levels from place to place" throughout the wind overlay district. He said he believes the committee would establish language in the law to protect quieter areas if those areas are found. He also attempted to clear up what he called "confusion" on the Hammond public's part.

"This is not to be the definitive sound study, and never was," he said. "We're not qualified."

Mrs. McQueer said she already has been measuring background noise in Hammond with a Type 1 Digital Sound Level meter around town.

"I do not expect it to be 25 dBA," she said. She reported that she has "been getting readings around my home and at other locations from the low to mid-40s to the high 50s."

The Hammond Town Board meets next at 7:15 p.m. Sept. 13 in the town hall, while the wind committee will gather at 7 p.m. Sept. 16 in the village hall.