Urbana approves, then rejects Greenpeace proposal
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

HAMMONDSPORT — Members of the Urbana town board this month approved — then rescinded — a permit allowing the international environmental group Greenpeace to use Depot Park for an demonstration of solar power and a review of environmental issues.

Board members Aug. 19 approved by a 3-2 vote a request from Greenpeace representative John Deans to park the organization's "Rolling Sunlight" vehicle in the park Sept. 10. The vehicle runs on biodiesel fuel and is equipped with 256 square feet of solar panels. According to Deans, the panels generate enough electricity "to power three homes, concerts and events."

Town Supervisor Gordon Lamphere and Councilman Paul Matuscello voted against giving Greenpeace the permit. They were joined the following day by the other three councilmen after Lamphere called a special meeting of the board. That action followed an article in the Aug. 20 Corning Leader describing a visit from Greenpeace volunteers to the Corning office of U.S. congressional candidate Eric Massa. Volunteers delivered approximately 1,000 signature cards to Massa's office, arranged in the form of wind turbines, urging Massa to support legislation aimed at curbing global warming.

Martuscello called the Greenpeace action "a stunt."

"We turned down his permit, because that's not the kind of activity we want in our community," he told The Courier last week.

"They were going to turn this into a political charade," added Lamphere. "It was simply going to be a political statement, and we just called the guy back and said we weren't going to let him use the park for those purposes."

Lamphere defended the hastily called special meeting, noting all five members of the board were notified and were able to attend. However, the executive director of the New York Committee on Open Government said the meeting may have violated the state's public meeting law.

Robert Freeman said New York's public meeting law requires a two-day notice to other board members when a special meeting is called. The law also requires the local news media be notified within "a reasonable period of time," Freeman said.

Lamphere said he had been advised by the New York Association of Towns the two-day notification requirement may be waived if all four board members attend the meeting. "They waived their right to a 48-hour written notice," he said.

Lamphere also said a phone call was placed to the Leader alerting the newspaper of the special meeting. Joe Dunning, the Leader's managing editor, however, said he received no notification of the meeting.

Contacted Thursday at the office of Congressman John "Randy" Kuhl (see story on page 1) Deans said Greenpeace has moved its Sept. 10 demonstration to Watkins Glen.

"There are a lot of folks in this area interested in environmental issues," Deans said. "We hope they make it over to Watkins Glen."