SOUTH OTSELIC – Nearly 50 people came out on Saturday to take part in an open house remembering the late 80s protests to keep a low level hazardous waste facility from being located in the South Otselic area.
Community members from South Otselic, Pharsalia, Lincklaen, Pitcher and beyond attended a meeting at the Otselic Valley High School on Saturday morning, organized by OV’s communications class. Many of those in attendance brought photos, buttons and tee shirts depicting the fight and reminisced about the roles they played and the common goals that brought them together.
“This is a history that needs to be told,” communications instructor Michael Foor-Pessin told the crowd. “Today is about your personal stories more than the tee shirts and buttons,” Foor-Pessin said explaining that students were equipped with camcorders and audio recording equipment and would be teaming up with participants for one-on-one interviews. “We want to hear the personal stories that can only be told in person.” The class plans to write a research paper and create a documentary from the information they gather.
The day’s event officially began with a question and answer session. Students asked the crowd to explain their opinions on matters like why the state selected OV and other rural communities for the waste site, what roles those in attendance played in the fight and what lessons were learned from the process.
Most in attendance agreed the state officials chose the rural upstate communities because they thought the citizens there were unintelligent and could be easily manipulated. “They thought they could bribe us,” said Town of Pharsalia Supervisor Dennis Brown. “They wanted to pick the path of least resistance. They thought we were a small, dumb community and they could give us a lot of money and we wouldn’t’ complain. It was a political decision based on the size of the area and the perceived intelligence.”
South Otselic Resident and owner of Chenango Roasters, Bill McCurry, explained that the small town residents worked together to fight the state. “There was no leader. Everybody had their own items they wanted to deal with.” That simple organization, McCurry said, is what made the group so functional and powerful. “This is the most intelligent group of people I’ve ever worked with,” he said.
While many remember the fight vividly and are proud of the success they had, they still worry about the issues facing local residents today and how those issues will be handled. “Every generation has their battles to fight,” said former OV physical education teacher Dottie Wills.
Foor-Pessin pointed to current issues like the proposed NYRI power line and current drilling in the area for natural gas. Like the low level radioactive waste facility, Foor-Pessin said the issue all comes down to money.
“Don’t discount the fact that you have to be brave,” Teddy Arnell advised the students in attendance. “There’s plenty of risk everywhere.”
One resident explained that when the fight against the waste facility first began, local residents didn’t want to see the site placed in their backyards, but as the fight progressed, he said we changed that to not in anybody’s backyard. “It’s not a matter of storing the waste. The industry needs to be stopped. We need renewable energy sources that won’t curse future generations.”
Foor-Pessin and the communications class will continue to gather information for their documentary project. The class will also be soliciting donations to help complete the project. Anyone who donates $25 or more will receive a copy of the documentary on DVD when the project is completed. Anyone interested can call the school at (315)653-7218 or they can contact Foor-Pessin or media director Sue LeBlanc via e-mail through the school’s web site at www.ovcs.org.