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Collinsville, OH Car Consumer Discussions

Re: This is a great idea... [british_rover]

by explorerx4 on Mon Jun 16 19:07:49 PDT 2008

the river is now considered a recreation area. i think they are going to have to jump through a lot of federal and state hoops to move ahead with that proposal. i have never trusted collinsville with control of that water. ;)

This is a great idea...

by british_rover on Sat Jun 14 07:25:05 PDT 2008

When I first moved up to CT I lived in this tiny town called Collinsville. Collinsville used to have an ax factory that was powered by two damns on the Farmington river. The factory and dams are still there but they are dormant with all of the generators and machinery gone. I always wondered why with all the push to get more sustainable domestic power into the state why the town didn't try and refurbish those old dams. Well apparently the town first selectman thought the same thing and had the town engineer look at the dams to figure out if they could be refurbished to provide local hydroelectric power. Homegrown Hydro As our ancestors duly observed, Connecticut has a lot of hills and a fair amount of rain throughout the year. Those crafty Yankees knew that water moving downhill would turn a waterwheel and power a mill or factory. They built dams to increase and control water power. Many of these dams were abandoned over the years, as steam and then electrical power replaced the waterwheel. But many — perhaps hundreds — of those dams are still there, in varying degrees of repair. Energy from fossil fuels has become problematic. Water power is clean. Wouldn't it make sense to use those dams again? Canton First Selectman Dick Barlow thinks so. Canton was home to one of the state's premier factories, The Collins Co., maker of world-renowned blade tools. The company, in the eponymous Collinsville section, ran on power from hydroelectric generators at two dams on the Farmington River. The generators fell quiet after the company closed its doors in 1966. Northeast Utilities bought and scavenged the machines for scrap metal. Barlow figures it's time to put them back into service. He and his fellow selectmen plan to ask the finance board for $20,000 to hire a consultant and a lawyer to help navigate the complex licensing process. The town engineer estimates each of the two dams would need $3 million worth of work. But depending on the size of the new generator, the upper dam could earn up to $138,000 a year for the town by selling electricity to the grid, and the lower dam could bring in $118,000, after bonds were paid off. This is a very promising idea. State utility and environmental officials ought to help the town navigate the regulatory rapids, and other towns should be looking at their dams with an eye toward doing the same thing. The water in the Farmington River is not imported from the Middle East. Its use doesn't add to greenhouse gas emissions. The more power we can derive from hydroelectric sources, the better off we'll be. Here is a follow up to the first article. Green certification for hydro dams The June 10 editorial "Homegrown Hydropower" pointed out the advantages of generating power at Connecticut dam sites, specifically the upper and lower Collinsville dams along the Farmington River. The town of Canton is quite sensibly looking into this possibility. After all, the dams are already in place, they have produced hydropower in the past and increasing local energy self-sufficiency is, in itself, a good idea. That said, even good ideas, if poorly executed, can turn into bad ideas. On the other hand, well-executed good ideas can become models, and restarting hydropower production at Collinsville could be a proud example of the right way to do hydro in Connecticut. At the very least, the project would use existing dams rather than further segmenting the Farmington River with new impoundments. Also, the project would require installation of fishways, helping to mitigate the present barriers to upstream fish passage. But it could be so much more. What would make this project a true model is to have it meet the criteria for certification developed and tested over time by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute. LIHI is an independent nonprofit that recognizes that well-done hydropower can be "green." LIHI has standards for impacts of dams on flow, water quality, fish passage, species of concern, watersheds, cultural resources and public access and recreation. Thus LIHI certification addresses many of the concerns about damage to the river expressed by local citizens who know the value of a healthy river system to public health, wildlife, recreation and tourism. Many consumers already seek sources of green energy and pay a premium for it. By providing a credible, rigorous green designation, LIHI certification would also add value for the hydropower producer. Hydro could be a win-win situation on the Farmington, but it is not a one-size-fits-all solution for all rivers. Anyone who has ever driven through CT will tell you that there are rivers everywhere and that many of those rivers have old dams attached to old factories or mills right on top of them. The dams are already built they just need to be refurbished and have modern turbines put in which is a lot easier and less expensive then building new dams.

2003 Pilot in St. Louis

by bkalt on Sun Mar 23 16:49:54 PST 2003

I picked my Pilot March 13. I paid $1000 under MSRP. My accessories were at cost. I dealt with internet sales. I traded a 2001 Toyota Highlander, which I think is a little zippier than the Pilot and got slightly better gas mileage. The Pilot is nice.

2000 WINDSTAR PROBLEMS ARE OVER!!

by jsiedhoff on Mon Nov 12 13:02:58 PST 2001

In response to my previous posts about my 2000 Windstar that stranded me on vacation twice, Ford has finally reacquired it and put me in a new 2002 with a 5 year premium extended service plan. It took over two months and tons of phone calls but it is over (hopefully). I hope the 02 does not have problems like my 00. I want to recommend Tri-Ford in Highland Illinois to anyone in the St. Louis metro area who might read this. Even though I purchased my 00 van at Jack Schmitt in Collinsville, IL (THEY SUCK. DO NOT GO THERE!) Tri Ford was happy to work with me and Ford Motor Co and they treated me with nothing but respect, honesty, and overall kindness. They have had multiple people come to them after dealing with Jack Schmitt. Anyway, this concludes yet another Ford nightmare.

Continuing 2000 Windstar problems/Crappy service

by jsiedhoff on Mon Jun 04 13:06:10 PDT 2001

I posted the previous messages (#515 & #523)about the squeaking in the 2000 Windstar. I had the van at the dealer again on Friday 6/1 and when I got it back, the problem still exists. This is the 6th or 7th time I had it in for the same problem. I have had several technicians ride with me to hear the problem as well as the service manager. The dealership is Jack Schmitt Ford in Collinsville, Illinois. I am starting to think they are incompetent. They seem very nonchalant and like the do not care about the problem. They keep telling me "we do not purposely not fix a problem just so you keep coming back" but I am starting to feel like that is not true. I have been dealing with their regional manager and he asked me to bring it in again tomorrow. I removed the middle passenger seat (where the squeak sounds like it is coming from) and I pushed on the floorboard under the seat with my hands and the squeak is very audible and it travels all the way back to the rear wheel. The last time I had it in, they told me it was a bushing in the rear suspension and they cut off some excess rubber and lubricated it with a new lubricant that Ford recommended. That did not help!! If anyone who reads this has had problems with Jack Schmitt in Collinsville, IL, please reply and let me know. I am ready to take legal action if necessary. Does anyone know if this will qualify for the lemon law? I am concerned that it could be a structural problem.

HL for tall driver

by bkalt on Wed Apr 18 19:55:11 PDT 2001

I'm fairly large 6' 2". I fit very well. It would be perfect if I had another inch leg room. Apparently I have a heavy foot. I am averaging about 19 mpg with mostly highway driving at about 70 mph.