ALBANY: Pataki Announces Pact to Replace Poletti Project— Gov. George E. Pataki on Sept. 5 announced an historic agreement requiring the Power Authority to close its Charles Poletti Power Project as soon as Feb. 1, 2008, after a clean new 500-megawatt (mw) power plant proposed at the site has begun operation. The governor said the agreement, concluded by NYPA, environmental groups and the Queens Borough President, also calls for the Authority to impose operating restrictions at the natural gas- and oil-fueled Poletti project, beginning in January 2003, and increase its investments in energy efficiency and clean energy projects in Queens and throughout New York City by more than $50 million over five years. Both actions will improve the region's air quality. Those signing the accord have agreed to unconditionally support NYPA's application to build the proposed 500-mw facility, which would be one of the cleanest and most efficient plants in the city's history. Two administrative law judges recommended approval of the new plant last December, after public hearings, but the New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment has not issued a decision, pending the outcome of settlement discussions between NYPA, the environmental groups and other interested parties.

ALBANY: Energy Upgrades Reduce School District's Costs—With students returning to the classroom, the Albany City School District has unveiled a comprehensive $3.2 million energy-efficiency project that will conserve energy, save money and protect the environment. The improvements, administered by NYPA with assistance from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, will reduce the district's energy costs by $146,000 annually. Key elements of the project include a new chiller at one school building and new boilers at another. An energy management system will permit remote control-via the Internet-of boiler operations and building temperatures at 18 school buildings and several other district facilities. A $1 million grant authorized by the Gov. George E. Pataki's office from state petroleum overcharge restitution funds reduced the cost of the project to the district. NYPA will recover its investment by sharing in the savings.

HERE AND THERE: Close Encounters With Animals on Tap—Make pals with a primate, get buggy with an insect exhibit and learn why reptiles may be nature's most misunderstood marvels. Those experiences, plus a host of other, more civilized pleasures await visitors at wildlife festivals scheduled at two upstate NYPA facilities the weekend of Sept. 28-29. On Saturday, the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project visitors center, North Blenheim, will stage a one-day festival packed with a variety of animal-related features, including search-and-rescue dogs, miniature horses and a collection of baby animals from the wild. The Power Vista at NYPA's Niagara Power Project, in Lewiston, will hold a two-day festival, on Saturday and Sunday, featuring Liberty the bald eagle, monkeys from the Primate Sanctuary and animal demonstrations that are both educational and entertaining. Crafts, musical performances and food vendors are also slated. Both festivals are admission-free and will be held rain or shine.

MASSENA: NYPA Donates $15,000 for New Fire Tanker—
At a ceremony marking the anniversary of last year's terrorist attacks, the Power Authority on Sept. 11 made a $15,000 contribution to a fund to replace the village volunteer fire department's tanker truck. "On this special night, when we remember the sacrifices of so many, especially so many firefighters and emergency service workers, it seems particularly appropriate that we show appreciation to our own local volunteers," said Bob Hadler, community relations regional manager, who presented a check to Mayor Kenneth MacDonnell. The village and the fire department purchased the vehicle currently used as a tanker in 1974 and modified it in 1995 into an engine-tanker to provide larger quantities of water for rural parts of the fire district where there are no fire hydrants. Because of its age and continual use, the engine-tanker is increasingly in need of costly repairs.

BROOKLYN: Improvements Under Way at Municipal Building—The Power Authority has started replacing the heating and hot-water systems at the municipal building at 345 Adams St. here in a $3.5 million project that will result in more efficient energy use and a major decrease in air emissions. Work at the 13-story building, which houses a number of city agencies, will include the installation of three new low-pressure steam boilers, a new hot-water heater and auxiliary equipment, and asbestos abatement in the basement. The new dual-fueled boilers will burn clean natural gas or No. 2 heating oil. The project also calls for installation of a high-pressure gas line, a new 10,000-gallon oil-storage tank, pumps and piping. The improvements are estimated to provide savings of about $12,000 a year and produce significant reductions in carbon-dioxide, sulfur-oxide and nitrous-oxide emissions.

MASSENA: Four-Mile Outing to Benefit Local Hospice—
Walkers, runners and even rollerbladers are invited to participate in the third annual Dam Four-Miler, to be held Sunday, Oct. 6, at Robert Moses State Park here. The race, which will begin at 10 a.m. in the main picnic area, will follow a four-mile route through the park. It is co-sponsored by NYPA, the Massena Joint Recreation Commission and the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and will benefit the Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley. The entry fee is $12 per person. The first 150 registrants will receive a long-sleeved T-shirt designed for the occasion. For more information, call Bob Hadler, NYPA's regional community relations manager, at 315-764-0226, x300.

In the Community: Commemorating last September's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Niagara Power Project's visitors center, Lewiston, is featuring a series of dramatic photographs taken at ground zero by longtime Power Authority photographer and recent retiree Joe Mombrea. On Sept. 11, employees at NYPA facilities around the state marked the anniversary by gathering for moments of silence and remembrance….NYPA electric vehicles were on display at the Lewiston Kiwanis Peach Festival, Sept. 7, and in the Youngstown Fireman's Day parade, Sept. 2….Some 350 back-to-school kits were distributed to children over the Labor Day weekend at the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project's visitors center, North Blenheim, Aug. 30-Sept. 2.…Joe Leary, senior intergovernmental relations specialist, spoke to the Riverdale Rotary on The Power Authority: Working for New York City, Aug. 29…NYPA donated $5,000 to the Utica Children's Museum to help defray the cost of new energy-efficient appliances.