Again...this is an opinion piece, and not an independently confirmed news story. This site has routinely allowed members of the public, and public officials, to share a letter to the editor.
For those of you who would like to know more about our
current situation with eminent domain and the Allegany County IDA (Industrial Development Agency) and why we
have not let the water line go through our property. We were officially served
Eminent Domain papers on 12/20/19, with a court date on January 10th, 2020.
This gives us little time to prepare during the holidays. We are not against
economic development. We have our own business that we run in this area. We
only asked, from the very beginning, protection for our artesian water supply
(our well is across the road with the waterline running under the road within
an easement that was written into our deed) and protection for our trees. Both
of those things factor into the businesses and lifestyle that we maintain here.
We also feel like they could run the water line with a temporary easement. This
is a historical property with our deed owning to center line of the road. They
want to take that from us and create a permanent easement. This could mean a
lot for current and future owners of the property. They have refused to concede
any of these things. It was not about the money for us. And the tactics they
have used have been downright nonsense and possibly illegal. Now we only want a
fair hearing in court so we can be heard and for a judge to see what is right
and fair. Not a rush through the system and a rubber-stamped easement. This site has always and will continue to accept Letters to the Editor or public opinion pieces (editorial discretion is always applied).
