Business owner speaks out about proposed frack wastewater site

I am writing you in hopes that I may be able to express my concerns in regards to the Hydro-fracking waste water treatment facility on Taylor Road in the Town of Owego and that it will make a difference. I have lived in Owego for 25+ years and raised my three daughters here. It is one of the safest, beautiful small towns in Upstate NY.

I know that you are very familiar with the Village of Owego, it's small historic charm and the fact it is small town America at it's finest. My major concern with the proposed Hydro-fracking waste water treatment facility in Owego is the traffic through our historic downtown. With an estimated 96 tanker trucks per day coming and going (that’s 192 times round trip), 24 hours/day, 7 days/week for decades to come that kind of truck traffic will destroy our downtown.

Our Historic buildings and homes date back to the 1800's and they are not built to have the truck traffic going past them every hour on the hour every day of the year for the next 20 + years. My way of life in our small town is quite simple, I enjoy walking along Front Street for two to three miles everyday. I can not imagine walking with all of that diesel fuel from the trucks. I also love looking at all of the different homes along my walk, and running into neighbors as they walk as well. If this is permitted to happen the beautiful homes will slowly deteriorate as the home owners will move away from all of the noise and pollution.
 

I am also a small business owner on Front St. that I purchased on Jan. 1,  2001, The Goat Boy. During the last nine years we have had many trying times, three floods in two years led us to buy a 1867 Historic building (175 Front Street) in 2006. After completely renovating the 1st floor of this building bringing back the beauty of the building we moved The Goat Boy into and have grown the business tremendously since then.

With the economic recession that we endured last year we did so with the best business year on record for us. One might wonder how a small business was able to survive last year in NY state, we not only survived we had an increase of business by 22 percent. We market our business, our location and the charm of our town. Our TV commercials show the lovely exterior of our building, quite honestly I would like it to continue to look as it does currently. I do not want 96 trucks driving past it daily, possibly cracking the windows as one did in 2008.

By the way that truck did not bother to stop, we had to replace the large window at a huge expense to us. The charm of Owego for most of our customers is to walk the downtown, shop at all of the quaint gift shops, have lunch or dinner and now take a walk along our beautiful new river walk. The truck traffic will ruin the charm of walking on Front St. in Owego, without the shoppers our quaint gift shops will close and Owego will be just one more small town that is no longer. It will be nothing short of a very sad ghost town, empty boarded up gift shops & eateries. The once Coolest Small Town in America will be no more.

Please consider my concerns, please care about my small businesses, please care about my village, Owego NY. I am just one of many village residents that hope and pray you will care about our Historic village. You have the voice that will make a difference please use it. Thank you for your time & consideration.

Sincerely,

Lisa L. Curatolo

The Goat Boy, Inc.

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