NEWS
|
Free Ice Cream and Fireworks to Highlight Community Celebration for 50th Anniversary of NYPA's St. Lawrence Project Contact: June 18, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MASSENA—In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of its St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) today invited the public to a community celebration on June 24. The 7 p.m. event, which will take place at the power project's admission-free visitors center at Hawkins Point, will include free ice cream and live music, followed by fireworks after nightfall. "We look forward to celebrating this significant milestone with our neighbors and host communities in the North Country with an exciting evening of fireworks, music and an ice cream social," said Frank S. McCullough, Jr., NYPA chairman. “We’re excited about marking the St. Lawrence-FDR project’s 50 years of service to Northern New York,” said Richard Turner, NYPA regional manager, Northern New York. “We hope our neighbors will join us for an entertaining night of fireworks, music and delicious ice cream.” The music for the event will be provided by Northern Symphonic Winds, a 46-member wind and percussion ensemble comprised mostly of faculty and students from the Crane School of Music and the State University of New York in Potsdam. The volunteer group will perform various famous and patriotic melodies. The fireworks will be supplied by Alonzo Fireworks, a family-run pyrotechnics company located in Mechanicville. Those planning to attend are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. Visitors arriving earlier in the day can sample the array of hands-on exhibits at the $5 million Hawkins Point visitors center, which presents information on such subjects as water power and the operation of the St. Lawrence-FDR project. Visitors are also sure to enjoy the panoramic views of the power dam from Hawkins Point. The visitors center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The boat launch at the visitors center will be closed on June 23 and 24, in preparation for the anniversary festivities, and will reopen on Wednesday, June 25. The Robert Moses-Robert H. Saunders Power Dam at the St. Lawrence-FDR project first began producing hydroelectricity on July 17, 1958, as a result of a cooperative effort between the United States and Canada. The Power Authority's section of the dam, comprised of 16 generating units, has produced about 335 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, which would be sufficient power to meet the electrical needs of the U.S. for one month. The project has also prevented emissions of about 175 million tons of greenhouse gases from fossil-fueled power plants, equating to roughly 580 million barrels of oil needed to create the same amount of energy. About NYPA: ■ NYPA uses no tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. ■ NYPA is a leader in promoting energy-efficiency, new energy technologies and electric transportation initiatives. ■ It is the nation’s largest state-owned electric utility, with 18 generating facilities in various parts of the state and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. |
|