New York Power Authority and Waddington Officials Dedicate Renovations to Waddington Town Beach

Contact
Carol Simpson
Community Relations, regional manager
(315) 764-6863 or
(800) 262-NYPA - within NY State
carol.simpson@nypa.gov

Printer-friendly version

August 12, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MASSENA—Al Schriver, regional manager, Northern New York, New York Power Authority (NYPA), today joined with Bill Dalton, supervisor, Town of Waddington; Russ Strait, recreational director, Town of Waddington, and other local officials to formally dedicate the newly renovated facilities for Waddington Town Beach and Howard Park.  The renovations were completed late this spring in time for the town beach season.

“With the Power Authority’s new license for the St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project, we continue our commitment to the hardworking families of the North Country by helping to keep jobs secure and by improving parks on project lands such as the newly restored Waddington Town Beach,” said Schriver.

“The Power Authority and its contractors, many of whom are locally-based, should be commended for their efforts to realize these beautiful improvements to Waddington Town Beach and the entire park,” said Dalton.

Facilities at Waddington Town Beach were completely rehabilitated and/or replaced by J.E. Sheehan Contracting Corp. of Potsdam with subcontractors including Burns Bros (Potsdam), S&L Electric (Colton), Grasse River Asphalt & Paving (Canton), Syracuse Mosaic Terrazo (Syracuse) and Scott Painting (Alex Bay).  Paving and pavement striping were done by the Town of Waddington.  The improvements were designed by C&S Engineers located in Syracuse.  Among the subcontractors working with C&S Engineers were Reimann-Buechner (Syracuse) and N.K. Bhandari (Syracuse).  Bernier, Carr & Associates (Watertown) served as construction manager.

At Waddington Town Beach, the complete rehabilitation of its facilities included replacing all Town Beach structures, most notably the bathhouse, concession building and picnic shelter with handicapped-accessible facilities meeting the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); rehabilitating the beach with additional sand; and replacing the floating swim platform and playground.  ADA-compliant paved access ways to other park features and buildings were installed.  Also, NYPA provided a new floating dock with provision for future expansion.  New signs and a variety of other small improvements were made throughout the park.

The new 50-year license for the St. Lawrence Project was awarded to the Power Authority by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in late 2003.  As part of the new license, the Power Authority is required to refurbish existing recreational facilities and build new ones. In December 2003, NYPA trustees authorized expenditures totaling about $170 million—including the costs of recreational facilities—to comply with the new license.  In 2004, FERC approved the recreation plan.

The Waddington Town Beach, located in Howard Park, is operated by the town under an agreement with the Power Authority with provisions for annual payments to reflect the cost of maintenance.

Every 12 years during the term of the new license, NYPA will prepare and file with FERC a report on the adequacy of the recreational facilities associated with the power project in consultation with the towns within the project boundary and other area organizations.