AN ODE tO MARiE kONDO

Ending clutter, which by definition is anything that I consider to be extraneous to an ordered household and mind, is always on my list, but because of a rather gummy combination of procrastination and the desire to do more interesting things, its place on the list is last. Today I found a related inventory among my Facebook notifications designed to help me eliminate some of those objects that are filling up both my home and my mind with … well, junk. First on the list is “The other side of a pair of lost earrings.” Now there is something significant. I have lost a lot of earrings, mostly only one of each pair and have now a collection of scatter pins. They don’t take up much room, but they are there in the container with the existing complete pairs. So, when I have time, I’ll sort through the jumble and get rid of them. When I have time.

Then comes “scraps of wrapping paper.” Do other people save ends and pieces of wrapping paper for those small but significant gifts that we never give?

Socks with holes and old Tshirts are on the list. Yes, we have these and, somehow, they never leave the house. We stash them in bags and hide them in boxes with the idea that they make good dusters. I calculate that, at this moment, we could dust New York state and have a few still

Ramblings from the empty nest Ann Ferro unused. Expired coupons and greeting cards that have no sentimental value are on the list. There is a drawer in the kitchen that is stuffed with the former and several shoe boxes with the latter. Those boxes include greeting cards sent by companies and their representatives full of the institutional sentiment of more sales … but it Ode l Page 5

NHL should go 1 through 16

About a month from now, what is considered by many as the best post-season in all of sports begins. Just as they’ve done in a format unchanged for more than four decades, 16 NHL teams enter the playoff cauldron. Just one emerges with that big silver from Lord Stanley that every hockey players who’s ever laced up skates dreams of hoisting.

As always, eight come from each conference. Which in 202223 is a real problem.

Boston is the overwhelming favorite with its record points place. Yet Carolina, New Jersey, Toronto, Tampa Bay and the New York Rangers all are powerhouses, too, only reinforced in the recent trade deadline.

All of them play in the Eastern Conference – which, given the current structure, means some monster first-round series where the Lightning and Leafs go at it, as do the Devils and Rangers.

Go to the Western Conference, and it’s nowhere near as daunting. Dallas is pretty good. Colorado, at full strength, resembles the champs of a year ago. Then…...Vegas? Edmonton? Winnipeg? L.A.? Doesn’t seem that imposing.

Here is where rigid conference l From page 2 structures hinder the league’s product. Ideally, a team finishing in the league’s top eight (out of 32 teams, remember) should have a home-ice advantage in the opening round, but at least two, maybe more, will not this time around. and timely review” of siting permit applications.

About the only way this can be addressed is by doing something the NHL, along with the NBA, has refused to consider – namely, reseeding the playoff teams once the field is established.

The arguments against this idea are obvious. You might have far more travel during a sevengame series, especially if you hold on to the 2-2-1-1-1 format of who hosts games.

Never mind that it breaks up potential rivalries. The NHL loved those feuds in the Adams, Patrick, Norris and Smythe days when Montreal-Quebec, Islanders-Rangers and EdmontonCalgary frequently ran into each other.

Overriding all these concerns, though, is the simple idea of fairness. In any given season, there can simply be more good teams in one conference over the other. So why should some teams in the strong conference be punished, at least at the outset?

All large-scale renewable energy projects 25 MW or larger are now required to obtain a siting permit from ORES for new construction or expansion.

“This process is designed to help meet the state’s renewable energy objectives while ensuring the protection of the environment with consideration of all pertinent social, economic and environmental factors (including environmental justice) while providing opportunity for local government and community participation in the permitting process,” the ORES website states.

According to the state, the mission of ORES is consistent with the goals set forth in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which was signed into law in 2019 to address climate change and put New York State on a path to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions. One of the plan’s targets is to generate 70 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

In 2021, the Town of Fenner adopted a local law to amend its land use regulations with respect to solar energy systems.

Prior to the adoption of the local law, solar energy systems were prohibited principal uses under the town’s zoning regulations.

The local law regulates the design, placement, construction, and operation of small-scale solar systems that support principal residential, agricultural, and business uses, and it continues the town’s prohibition on large-scale commercial solar facilities.

“The Town of Fenner prides itself on its rural character and agrarian heritage that make it an attractive location for farms and rural residences,” the local law states. “The Town of Fenner has been a leader in renewable energy, being the home of one of the first commercial wind energy facilities in New York State, and recognizes that appropriately utilized, solar energy may be a readily available and

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Random Thoughts

I’m not advocating just taking the 16 best teams regardless of conference. It’s fair to maintain a top-eight system, especially if the early rounds are not tied up in divisions, as they are now when we’re almost certain to get another Lighting-Leafs series.

What it could do is also give more weight to winning the regular-season points race. Sure, a 16 could beat a 1 (UMBC beat Virginia, after all), but in a best-ofseven it’s far less likely, especially if they are from different conferences and not as familiar with one another.

In other words, having lapped the field for six months, Boston’s “reward” is a tricky series against someone who had to play pressure hockey for weeks (if not months) just to reach the playoffs and, having come out of the tougher East, might be well-equipped to give the mighty Bruins a scare, even if it doesn’t end up resembling the shocking Columbus sweep of Tampa Bay in 2019.

Once, the NBA could have chosen this path, but when it instituted “play-in” tournaments for the seventh through 10th finishers in each conference, it only reinforced the long-established renewable energy source that does not create air emissions in the course of generating electricity. Development of solar farms can, however, have a deleterious effect on the community when it occurs on agricultural lands, thereby removing those lands from production and creating a visual blight upon the community.”

The local law was the result of recommendations from the town’s solar committee, which was formed “to study the impacts, effects, and possible controls over ground solar energy facilities and to consider amendments to the zoning laws to address ground solar.”

The committee consisted of a member of the town board, a member of the planning board, a member of the zoning board of appeals, an agricultural representative, and a member of the board of directors of the Fenner Renewable Energy Education Center.

Based on research and data gathered from discussions with state, county, and local agencies and representatives, the committee determined it was in the best interest of the Town of Fenner to prohibit all solar projects of commercial or industrial size.

“This recommendation reflects the significant unknowns and uncertainties embodied in the State of New York’s recently released, yet undefined Legislative laws and the implementation of the new Office of Renewable Energy Permitting,” the August 2020 Solar Committee Report states. “The committee, by majority, recommends the Town of Fenner Board adopt this position, safeguarding the Town of Fenner’s agricultural heritage and future. This recommended action by the Fenner Town Board also supports Madison County’s Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan.”

One committee member recommended that the town approve large-scale ground solar projects, arguing that the town and individual landowners would benefit economically, that individual landowners should have the right to manage their land as they wish, and that the best way to preserve farmland is for the farmers to earn a decent living off of the farmland.

Under the 94-c process, Cypress Creek

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Phil blackwell

format, and the NHL has shown zero interest in a similar course –sorry, Sabres fans.

All of this is about having a playoff format which more accurately reflects where teams stand. Of course surprises can still happen – they always have and always will. All it takes is a hot goaltender or a sudden slump and regular-season mastery can lead to post-season misery.

But if, say, Boston and Carolina are the league’s top teams, they need not meet until the final, if they get that far. Then it would feel like a long build-up to a crashing championship climax, rather than a potential letdown if the Bruins or someone else end up with an overmatched Western Conference foe.

Maybe all these concerns are exaggerated and we get a memorable post-season just as it’s currently structured. But if all the tension and drama ends up on one side early on, remember….it need not be this way.

Phil Blackwell is sports editor at Eagle News. He can be reached at pblackwell@ eaglenewsonline.com.

can ask ORES for a waiver of local requirements.

“If ORES finds that the local requirement is unduly burdensome in terms of meeting the state’s CLCPA goals, it can waive the local requirement,” said Silliman.

Fenner Town Supervisor Dave Jones explained that once the solar company has filed its application, the town will be notified by ORES and given the opportunity to explain the rationale behind its local law. The public will also have the chance to comment in favor or against the proposed project.

“You can defend your law to the 94-c siting board, but, I mean, it’s still up to the state [in terms of] basically overriding your home rule,” Jones said on Feb. 22.

Silliman stated that Cypress Creek consistently advises Jones and the town clerk when its team is at the project site conducting fieldwork in support of its state permit application. He also said the company has repeatedly requested the establishment of a regularly scheduled status call/meeting to keep the town apprised of ongoing developments and to keep the lines of communication open.

Jones presented a different perspective on the level of communication between the solar developer and the local community.

“The town and some of our residents have reached out to [Silliman] several times with questions and we never hear back,” Jones said. “We are never informed until after the fact. Cypress Creek has not always been upfront with us . . .”

According to Silliman, Cypress Creek is hoping to provide the town with a detailed update on the proposed project at the April 2023 town board meeting.

“The update would encompass the 94-c State permitting process, our interconnection with National Grid, our participation in the 2022 NYSERDA Renewable Energy Credit Auction, and local benefits from the project,” he said.

Information and updates regarding the proposed Oxbow Hill Solar Project can be found at ccrenew.com/projects/oxbow /