Balsams Hotel Sold - Impact to Northern Pass

[sardog1]

Speculation on my part is all Northern Pass has to do is create enough doubt on the public's part to derail the SPNH effort to raise the money prior to the closing date. I expect the NP piggybank for lawyers is a lot fuller than SPNHF's.

Yeah, we might be seeing the fundraising equivalent of a SLAPP suit .......

 

[RoySwkr]

Speculation on my part is all Northern Pass has to do is create enough doubt on the public's part to derail the SPNH effort to raise the money prior to the closing date. I expect the NP piggybank for lawyers is a lot fuller than SPNHF's.

I don't think it will affect fundraising, most major donations will probably come in as pledges to be paid only if the deal occurs. PSNH may pay its lawyers more, but I'll bet some NH heavy hitters may work pro bono on the other side. The key question might be whether the trust must maximize financial assets or whether preserving The Balsams as an institution and employer fulfills the mission of the trust.

 

[erugs]

But I don't even own a sports coat.

I guess that eliminates me from being a guest. No problem, I don't hang with yuppies anyway.

We've found them at thrift stores for around $5, which was good when my mother and dad celebrated their 65 wedding anniversary and mom insisted that the men wear jackets.

 

[NewHampshire]

I am proud of the Balsams telling Northern Pass to go pound dirt. Large utilities have gotten used to generally getting their way even with public disapproval. I hope we can teach PSNH that they can't do what they want, when they want, and expect us all to accept things in the end. Most people here probably know there is opposition, but travel north of the notches, into the areas of the North Woods where this issue is the real battleground, and you will find that folks are "as mad as hell and are not going to take it anymore." For them this is not just an issue of local vs. big company. These people are fighting for their way of life. They don't have the big money of the cities in the southern part of the state. They don't have the "covered-bridge-stereotypical-New-England-country-town" they just have their still remote feeling quiet life, their tough-as-nails pioneer-esque demeanor and their quiet and vast woods. And here comes the big old power company saying "give us your land at the 'reasonable' price we offer or we will just take it from you for a pittance." I am deeply proud of my fellow Granite Staters for being as rock solid in their beliefs that this is a truly wrong thing to be doing, both to the land as well as the people. PSNH can choke WMUR with their smells-like-a-rose TV ads all they want, to use a crude turn of phrase "you can polish a turd but it is still a turd." The winds of war are being stirred in the north country, and PSNH better be ready to handle the fallout when the real battles start to begin, like this one is forming up to be.

But.....

If we think that even if things go in favor of Balsams/SPNHF (which they should by all rights) don't believe for a second this will stop PSNH. My friend Mike has also been keeping a pretty close eye on things. Being an engineer I sometimes am thankful for his obsessive compulsive attention to detail, and that includes even going so far as track land owners and situations there-in. And he has seen that while the Balsams route would be ideal, in reality not getting the right of way poses only a minor nuisance. I believe he said all it will take is a couple of very sweet offers to a few other landowners (one, IIRC, a large timber company owner) to readjust their intended path. PSNH has been buying large tracts of land up there doing their best to make sure that they minimize the number of people they might have to make offers to, bribe, cajole or plain out steal land from through eminent domain. I personally think that in the end this fight is going to be won or lost in the halls of the State House. Will those people who are elected by us stand by our wishes or sell us out to PSNH? So while it is important to keep abreast of these kinds of developments it is equally important that my fellow Granite Staters also keep expressing to their elected state Reps. their opposition to this whole sordid mess.

OK, off the soap box now.

Brian

 

[Stan]

Wonder what your definition of a yuppie is because I think you may be ruling out a lot of mighty fine people, many found right here on Views.

 

[freighttrain48]

Wonder what your definition of a yuppie is because I think you may be ruling out a lot of mighty fine people, many found right here on Views.

urban dictionary
yuppie
Informal for oung (U)rban (P)rofessional, or Yup. turned into yuppie in the 1980's. A term used to describe someone who is young, possibly just out of college, and who has a high-paying job and an affluent lifestyle. Can now be used to describe any rich person who is not modest about their financial status. Yuppiedom (yuppie-dum)is a term used to describe an involvement in being a yuppie

Some of us may fit that category but I think Most members here are way to frugal for this moniker

 

[WhiteMTHike]

Some of us may fit that category but I think Most members here are way to frugal for this moniker

Correct.

Hiker <> yuppie

Yuppier <> hiker.

 

[peakbagger]

I really try hard to stick to facts when discussing this issue as most folks dont understand the rather extensive background for the project. When I do try to go into it most folks eyes glaze over.

Ultimately southern New England has a shortage of renewable power to meet the Renewable Portfolio standards legislation in most of those states, plus the existing baseload conventional power generating fleet in the area is getting old. Hydro Quebec has a large potential amount of relatively high cost to develop hydro power and they stand to profit over the long term if they can get US utilities to fund a major portion of the projects. What is standing between HQ and success is adequate transmission capacity between the HQ system and southern NE. Electric power transmission is a quite profitable segment of the electric power industry so any company that stands a chance of getting a chunk of it is going to pull out all stops.

Just think a couple of nukes down in southern new england would generate more than the Northern Pass can carry.

 

[NewHampshire]

Hence, the upping of the bid by Northern Pass for the Balsams land, after the NH attorney general last night approved the deal with the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

And some more light reading for this fine Christmas Eve day :

http://www.forestsociety.org/news/press-release.asp?id=563

As well as the link provided in the above release of the letter from the NH Attorney Generals Charitable Trust division:

http://savethebalsamslandscape.blogspot.com/p/letter-of-approval-from-charitable.html

Brian

 

[NewHampshire]

And as a personal commentary on the latest news.....

This, I think, is a good sign. Not so much that PSNH/HQ/NP are one step closer to losing the Balsams ROW (though of course that is a big bonus.) Rather I find it significant that an important sector of the State Government who has a big role in this issue has decided to side with the Balsams trust/SPNHF. It is a sign those opposed to this project are indeed being listened to by those in higher office.

But this is again no reason to remain complacent.

Brian

 

[JacobH]

I didn't see this posted yet, but it looks like Balsams took the conservation deal over the Northern Pass one.

Balsams Resort Chooses Conservation Deal Over Northern Pass


CONCORD, N.H. -- The attorney general's office has approved a land conservation deal to protect 5,800 acres around the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, over the objections of the Northern Pass power project.
A Northern Pass subsidiary had offered $2.2 million for a right of way across just 24 acres in Dixville Notch, but the hotel's owners accepted an $850,000 offer from the Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests instead. Northern Pass officials support the conservation effort, but argued the deal would block construction of transmission lines needed for their plan to build a $1.2 billion hydropower line from Canada.
On Friday, the attorney general's office said the hotel owners acted within their authority as a charitable trust and approved the deal.

Read more: http://www.wmur.com/news/30068670/detail.html#ixzz1hfM5Lurw

Stickin' it to the man.

 

[Stan]

If you're in the neighborhood ...

The beat, and the renovations, goes on.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2012/01/04/dixville_notch_looks_to_midnight_vote/?p1=News_links

... I wouldn't bother bringing golf clubs though ... does anyone here golf or do we all share Mark Twain's sentiment that golf is a good way to ruin a nice walk?

 

[erugs]

The beat, and the renovations, goes on.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2012/01/04/dixville_notch_looks_to_midnight_vote/?p1=News_links

... I wouldn't bother bringing golf clubs though ... does anyone here golf or do we all share Mark Twain's sentiment that golf is a good way to ruin a nice walk?

Is this a challenge for a poll? The most fun I've had on a golf course was when sledding with friends!

 

[JCarter]

SPNHF fundraising going well, but still has a way to go

http://savethebalsamslandscape.blogspot.com/

 

[erugs]

http://savethebalsamslandscape.blogspot.com/

I appreciate the link. It prompted a small donation from me.

 

[Andrew]

I'll be making my donation shortly. It has concerned me for a long time that the greater notch had no conservation easement. Everyone on this site should seriously consider pitching in on this.

I cruised through the notch today and was surprised there actually was some snow. Even saw snowshoe tracks on one of the trails where they actually looked like they were needed. Best snow was up at Little Diamond.

Dixville and Kelsey look like little bumps now that they are dwarfed by the wind towers.

 

[NewHampshire]

And as expected, it has been done!

http://savethebalsamslandscape.blogspot.com/

One more victory. Another battle won. Time for the next!

Brian

 

[MichaelJ]

Wow! I wonder who made the $150,000 donation?

 

[gaiagirl]

I cannot express my joy at this news. Can't wait to talk to my friends at SPNHF about this big win.

 

[NeoAkela]

Wonderful news! Such an amazing outpouring of support for the future conservation of this beautiful area.