Propane Storage Plan In Portland To Get Outside Review

One of the problems with a facility of this sort,other then the obvious, is that it will slowly erode the property values of the homes in the immediate area, along with the taxes they pay on thier large homes. Their property insurance is sure to rise, just ask one of many insurance underwriters who live in town and work in the insurance industry,only making matters worse. The people who purchased homes alongside an industrial zone and didn't know it, well you have problem. Be forwarned, that if not a propane facility, it could be used for something else.

A note to the Worrnoffs who grew up in town. The first responders are people you grew up with here in town. If and when something happens, will you be able to look a friend in the eye who lost a loved one fighting a fire at your facility? If it's not a big deal, then I suggest you sell your homes, and buy homes next to the storage facility, so you can keep a close eye on it.

Mr. Morrissey....I have never seen a mushroom cloud from a traffic accident. I have never seen a trafifc accident wipe out 1/4 mile of surrounding homes or. businesses. People don't care if there is a buffer zone, 15 ft high fences, or trees to hide the waiting disaster. I don't want this ticking time bomb a mile away from my house.

So I am all for property rights; you want to build something and can meet all of the town's rules and regulations, then great. What I am upset about is the P&Z Commissions approval of the change to the regulations allowing the bulk storage of propane within an IP zone in our town. Why were we not made more publicly aware of this requested change? What about including a stipulation about how close such a facility could be to schools, residential areas, etc? And those folks who bought a home next the IP zone had NO idea that a bulk propane storage facility was potentially in their future. Please don't compare a bulk propane facility to a farm or a postal operation. Yes, those types of facilities have their own issues too. And while the risk of a propane blast from this kind of storage tank is minimal, it is NOT the kind of risk I am willing to subject my children and our nearby elder population to.

"Be forwarned, that if not a propane facility, it could be used for something else." -I'm all for something else. How about a grocery store? Or a restaurant? No, the cronies and brothers-in-laws of town officials wouldn't like the competition. It was the sneaky way this whole project was handled that bothers me. We all know P&Z's tricks by now. Keep an eye on this bunch

Yes, we might as well close Cumberland Farms' gas station, too, due to the dangers therein. And we should probably think about restricting anyone under the age of 21 in Portland from being able to drive. The issue here is owners right's being trampled under the aegis of "the common good." The entire PROP movement represents a backwards-looking mentality that would have human beings going back to living in caves. No matter what use the industrial property would be used for, we would find complaints such as this. As a town, we should be encouraging more businesses to come to Portland, more development & innovation, and more freedom & rights for every town's citizen to pursue whatever they would like to pursue - not less.

This is not simply about property owners' rights - this is about also making sure that our community is not subjected to unwarranted risk. I'm relatively fine with having a bulk propane storage facility in town - great - go for it; we need more businesses in Portland and we even use propane in our home. Make such a facility as safe as possible, be prepared for the worst should that occur and for heaven's sake, put it somewhere other than this proposed location!! Don't put it within 2 miles of our schools and don't put it near high populations of elderly people. Have a thougtful approach for an evacuation, should it be needed, and be clear about how such a facility will be run and regulated; tell me the cost to my town for monitoring this facility, because I bet there is one. I'm not a member of the PROP movement and I won't be. I'm a taxpayer and a parent and this proposal - and the manner in which the P & Z regulations were changed - just doesn't smell right to me.

who was the idiot who ran onto the football field and argued with the coach during the younger kids game was it that ex middletown cop ?

it was at the cromwell kid's game what a loser!

Representatives of the applicants believe that a 90,000 gallon bulk propane storage and distribution facility could safely operate in the heart of our community, because it would be loaded with redundant manual and automatic safeguards; however the necessity for having such a high level of safeguards is evidence of a potentially very dangerous situation. BEST CASE: The proximity of that much propane so close to residential zones creates a clear and ever-present hazard. Increases in insurance premiums and decreases in property values will likely occur. A couple who has been attempting to sell their house said to me,“We’ve had several potential buyers decline a walk-through because of their concern about having a propane tank farm nearby.” Even the perception of the facility is causing economic damage! WORST CASE: Should multiple safeguards fail at the wrong time, the detonation of 90,000 gallons of propane has a real potential of reaching two school facilities and the surrounding neighborhoods. Likely or not, it is possible. Given their recent vote, even the Board of Education believes that such a hazard is unnecessary, irresponsible, and unwarranted. The availability of a sufficient on-site water supply is another concern. The applicants are suggesting that 10,000 gallons is sufficient to cool three 30,000 gallon propane tanks in the event of a fire. Their plan would only have the chance of working if the fire was spotted at its onset and if full backup support could arrive within 10 minutes. What if a facility fire started at 2:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning? Who would be around to notice it or call for help? Could thousands of residents, disabled people, and our senior citizens, most of which are sleeping, be evacuated in time? Where would they go? The high school is our designated shelter area, but given the proximity of the problem it is also in the evacuation area. The applicants should be allowed to use their property to make a profit, but not if they are doing so at the peril and expense of the community. Given the recent zoning regulation change permitting this use in an IP zone, the volume of propane being considered, the scope of the hazard, and its economic impact, a case might be made that an element of profiteering is involved. I have a very real problem with the applicants’ willingness to make a profit at the potential peril of my family. Their faith in modern engineering does not sit well for a reason. Even the best built equipment fails from time to time: The Titanic, the space shuttle Challenger, the Apollo ground fire, technical failures on airplanes, etc… Unforeseen circumstances are the usual culprits of such accidents and the resulting loss of life. There are no engineering solutions for “unforeseen circumstances.” Engineering solutions typically come only after and engineering failures. That is just how science works. The applicants are gambling the wellbeing of the community for a chance at a profit --- If something were to go terribly wrong, what could make up for our loss? Who, if anyone, could make adequate reparations for the loss of my wife and four young children? None. They are irreplaceable. In the American Dream, those who take the risk get the rewards. That is far from the case here. As a husband, a father, and a homeowner, I cannot and will not relinquish my right to defend my family and home from danger. The proposed project creates an unnecessary hazard that extends past the bounds of their own property to my home and my family. This is unacceptable and every legal opportunity to prevent this project from advancing will be taken. Mr. Woronoff, I will not gamble the relative safety of my family away for anyone’s profit. Please consider another, well contained, use for your property. Nothing would make me more pleased than to support your success in that regard.

There are many other uses for an IP zone that do not have the potential of wiping out a 1-mile radius which is populated by thousands of people. If that were to occur, mine would not be the only family to loose two entire generations of its members and end the line altogether. Engineering failures happen every day, most of which go unnoticed. Airplanes, which have redundant safety systems galore, experience failures. Risk and reward get measured: Most people who fly don’t die, but a handful do. Some people are overly-cautious and don’t fly at all, but that is not what we are talking about here. Given the scope of this project, its proposed location, and the extraordinary impact that a mechanical failure would have, it is pure folly to build it there. Measuring risk verses reward is not backwards thinking, it’s common sense.

PS: When an outside entity endangers my family, MY rights are being endangered not theirs! If they can keep the risk contained on their land and their land alone, then my voice is moot. Again, this is common sense.

Kyrill Firshein wrote:

Yes, we might as well close Cumberland Farms' gas station, too, due to the dangers therein. And we should probably think about restricting anyone under the age of 21 in Portland from being able to drive. The issue here is owners right's being trampled under the aegis of "the common good." The entire PROP movement represents a backwards-looking mentality that would have human beings going back to living in caves. No matter what use the industrial property would be used for, we would find complaints such as this. As a town, we should be encouraging more businesses to come to Portland, more development & innovation, and more freedom & rights for every town's citizen to pursue whatever they would like to pursue - not less.

I just want to know what was the P and Z thinking in May when it was asked to change the wording on the Industrial zone to include propane ?

We can't even get clean water in portland. Yet we can be the third world dumping ground for the buisnesses no other town wants. Why not offer us better buisnesses that would help this town grow. I can see all the cars, streched for miles, comming to buy.... more propane....This is not what I want and pay taxes for, to the MORONS in P and Z who you being paid off by????

This is just another way for people to line their pockets without seriously considering the affect on the community, how do the residents of Portland benefit form taking this risk.
As to their attorneys comment that...
"There's a much higher risk of a traffic incident than a bulk storage facility incident. You've lived with that exposure for years and you've lived with it safely."
A traffic incident only affects the individuals involved and their families, a propane explosion would affect a whole community and their families.
I wonder where the Wornoffs live.

to: Scott Adamsons - please contact me. there is a similar proposal here in my neighborhood in loveland, ohio - edavem@cinci.rr.com