To:  CLEAR Participants and Friends...
 
1.  CLEAR and the Friends of the Cheat will be at Booth 93 of the Outdoor Sports Show, Phar-Mor Building, Upper Level of Morgantown Mall, this coming Saturday from 10 to 8 pm and Sunday from 10 to 4 pm.  Stop by, it's quite a show!
 
2.  On March 21st, for three or four days, there will be an Evidentiary Hearing at the Public Service Commission in Charleston.  The proposed Longview power plant will be under consideration.  Testimony will be limited to representatives of Longview Power,  Allegheny Energy, the Building Trades Union, Intervenors Barbara Born et al ("Concerned Citizens") representing the Citizens for Alternatives to Longview Power, Citizens for Responsible Development, CLEAR, and many local citizens.
 
3.  The Triennial "Recreation Plan Update" will be the subject of a Public Meeting set for the Cheat Lake Fire Hall on Wednesday, March 29th at 7 PM.  As shown in the letter below, CLEAR requested a 90 day extension of the April 1st deadline for Allegheny Energy to submit a final report to the Federal Energy Regulatory Administration.   [The Monongalia County Commission also passed a motion yesterday for a 90 day extension.]
 
I understand that there will be at least a 30 day extension, to May 1st.
See the letter below for some of the topics to be discussed; we hope to have some specific recommendations on many of these topics.  Let me know what you think, as soon as possible, and at the Public Meeting on March 29th.
 
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CHEAT LAKE ENVIRONMENT AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION
 
                      March 1, 2006
 
Charles L. Simons
Allegheny Energy
800 Cabin Hill Drive
Greensburg, PA 15601
 
RE: FERC Project 2459-417, Lake Lynn Hydrostation “Recreation Plan Update”.
 
It is herewith requested that a Public Meeting be held and a Time Extension be granted relative to the Triennnial Review of the Cheat Lake Park and Trail.  The original recreation plan was submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in June of 1995.  And, the Park and Trail were dedicated in 2000.  These are fine facilities; and, substantial progress has been made over the years.  There are a number of important issues that need to be publicized, commented upon, discussed, and resolved at the present time.
 
The cover letter on the Recreation Plan Update of February 1, 2006 states “If you believe that a meeting is necessary upon your review of this plan, please contact me at our Greensburg, PA office, telephone (724) 838-6131.”  And, we have done so.  A Public Meeting, at the Cheat Lake Fire Hall, for example, is needed to provide an open forum so as to hear a verbal summary of the Update, to permit direct questions to be asked, and to receive comments from the general public.  Such a meeting should be announced to the public via newspaper and radio, and via letter to the parties of record.  Subsequent to this Public Meeting, a period of at least two weeks should be alloted for interested persons to submit written comments to Allegheny Energy.  Then, a period of 30 days would be appropriate for Allegheny Energy to prepare a response for FERC and the public.
 
Therefore, it is appropriate to request a Time Extension to July 1st, to permit the planning for and execution of a Public Meeting, a period for subsequent written comment, and a period of time for the preparation of the response document by Allegheny Energy for the FERC and the public. [The FERC response to the last Triennial Review was dated July 21, 2005 but not distributed to the participants; so, a significant amount of time was lost in this last update process.]
 
The Cheat Lake Environment and Recreation Association (CLEAR) wishes to raise a number of topics at this time.  And, we know that other participants in CLEAR may have additional topics to raise; and, the other organizations concerned and affected by the Cheat Lake Park and Trail will undoubtedly have other topics or other comments on these same topics.
   
                      TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED AT A PUBLIC MEETING
 
1. CLEAR believes that a systematic plan is needed to deal with shoreline erosion and the frequent landslides that have closed one or the other of the two main trail segments.
 
2.  If the landslide problems can be managed, then the possibility of opening the South Trail for a greater number of months per year may become feasible.
 
3.  The safety and security plans for the Park and Trail are worthy of detailed discussion, given that security is to be provided by a private agency as compared with the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department, according to our understanding. 
 
4. The “day use camping area” is not being used hardly at all; and, this area could well serve as an “overnight camp area”.
 
5. A swimming beach is needed at the Park to provide an opportunity for swimming from the shore, given that substantial swimming takes place throughout the Lake from boats, from boat docks, etc.
 
6.  Given that the usage of the Lake has increased substantially, it is now time to consider whether guidelines are appropriate for a limit to the number of boat slips on the lake, the size and type of boats to be accommodated, and the upper horsepower of these boats; and, further, whether high speed personal water craft (PWC or “jet-skiis”) should be limited to specific hours of the day on weekends, whether the no-wake zone at the Emma Kaufmann Camp should be extended out beyond the shoreline profile, etc.
 
7.  Consideration should be given to the development of a formal  communications system protocol with regard to Lake safety and security among EMS - 911, the Fire Department, the Sheriff’s Department, the Department of Natural Resources, the Emma Kaufmann Camp, any relevant private security agent, and Allegheny Energy; and, consideration could be given to including the primary marina operators in this system.
 
8.  An interconnection to the proposed Sheekskin Trail would be a highly desirable feature that could be accomplished without great expense, as plans are finalized for the extension of a trail along the old railroad bed [east side of the Cheat River in Pennsylvania] from Pt. Marion upstream to the Lake Lynn Dam.
 
9.  An opportunity to show appreciation for the hard work and effective management provided to the Park and Trail by Allegheny Energy during the past few year.
 
Thank you for your help and consideration at this time.
 

Respectfully submitted,
 
 
 
Duane G. Nichols, President of CLEAR
330 Dream Catcher Circle
Morgantown, WV 26508
 

cc:   FERC [John Estep, Shana High]