BESS public forum in Ti rescheduled

TICONDEROGA | The Public Hearing on potential Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in Ticonderoga has been rescheduled for Monday, May 18 at 6 p.m. within the Ticonderoga High School Auditorium. The night didn't exactly go as planned for the initial planned hearing on Thursday, May 14. Residents poured into the auditorium of the Community Building, resulting in standing room only in the second-floor space. With an influx of people lining the stairwell awaiting entry, as well as folks out the front and back doors and parking lot, the space within the Community Building was well, well over capacity, and legally the meeting could not be held. "We are required to provide a space to hold all interested in attending," Town Councilman Tom Thater explained. A 10-acre lot out on the Hague Road directly across from the burned-down Adirondack Lanes bowling alley is being eyed as the potential site to host multiple lithium battery storage units. Because of the health and environmental risks they pose in the event of a malfunction, BESS in Ticonderoga has become a controversial topic that many appeared to be passionately against. "I think people are fed up," noted one resident in the audience. "Fed up with all the solar panels, fed up with all of it." When Ti Town Supervisor Jim O'Bryan revealed to the crowd that the meeting would not legally be able to convene, the room erupted in a disenchanted cacophony and verbal protest. "Ticonderoga doesn't want this," one angry resident in the back shouted. "Shut it down now!" Bridgette Cruz, a lifelong resident, business owner, and mother to a child who will soon be attending Pre-K at Ticonderoga Elementary School (located near the potential lithium battery site), shared her concerns. "People want to know what will happen if they're ever is a catastrophe where our evacuation will be and who is responsible for the cleanup afterwards," she said. "Troutbrook runs right behind that, which flows into both Lake George and Lake Champlain, which would definitely be contaminating our waterways for sure if there was some type of environmental disaster with these lithium batteries." Cruz added the batteries would not be bringing any jobs or economic growth to the area. "It's a land cash grab at the consumer's expense," she said. "It is not beneficial for our community or for the environment." All are encouraged to attend Monday's hearing to engage in a civil and informed discussion. The Sun will be covering that hearing, stay tuned for coverage.

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BESS public forum in Ti rescheduled

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