NEW YORK: Central Park Fuel Cell Wins Technology Award—A natural gas-powered fuel cell installed by NYPA at the New York Police Department's Central Park police station has earned the City of New York a 2002 Solutions Award in the large energy category from Public Technology, Inc. (PTI), a research-and-technology organization for local governments. The NYPA fuel cell, installed in 1998, alleviated a power shortage at the station, which had outgrown the capacity of feeder lines. The fuel cell met the station's needs by producing virtually pollution-free electricity through a chemical reaction, without combustion. It was the only winner in PTI's large energy category and one of only 15 awards overall. Washington, D.C.-based PTI conducts the Solutions Awards program to recognize best practices and technological innovations by local governments.

GREEN ISLAND: Low-cost Power to Help Sealy Create 230 Jobs— Gov. George E. Pataki announced on Jan. 28 that the Village of Green Island will receive an allocation of low-cost NYPA power to help the Sealy Mattress Co. expand and create 230 new jobs, doubling its work force, over the next three years. Sealy plans a $20 million expansion, including a new facility in the Albany County Empire Zone, in the northern area of the village. The company had considered some of its other facilities in the Northeast as the location for the expansion, which will house manufacturing and some back-office functions. The 500-kilowatt (kw) allocation made available to Sealy through the Green County Power Authority will come from a block of 108,000 kw set aside by NYPA for economic development in areas served by the state's municipal and rural cooperative electric systems. NYPA trustees on Jan. 28 approved the allocation under NYPA's Municipal and Rural Cooperative Economic Development Program.

SYRACUSE: NYPA Schedules Forum on Proposed Rate Plan—The Power Authority will conduct a public forum here March 18 on proposed revisions in preference power rates, which would remain among the lowest for wholesale electricity in the nation. The forum will be held at the Oncenter, 800 South State St., from 1 to 4 p.m. and in the evening, beginning at 7 p.m. Preference power is hydroelectricity sold without markup to the 51 municipal and rural cooperative electric systems in New York State; to rural and domestic customers of the Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., Rochester Gas & Electric Co. and New York State Electric and Gas Corp.; and to neighboring states under federal law. Proposed revisions in the rates are the first in a decade and would reflect costs associated with major life-extension programs and relicensing efforts at the Power Authority's two major hydroelectric power projects as well as the increased costs of producing electricity. Under a new four-year plan proposed to begin May 1, the cost of preference power energy would remain less than 1 cent per kilowatt-hour. The forum is designed to solicit public comments, which will be considered by NYPA trustees before they take final action on a rate adjustment.

LAKE PLACID: NYPA Vows Support for Binational Olympic Bid— Power Authority President and CEO Gene Zeltmann told several members of Congress and their staffs here on Jan. 31 that NYPA will do whatever it can to help Gov. George E. Pataki "bring the Winter Olympics back to Lake Placid—where they belong. "Zeltmann said the Governor's proposal in his State of the State address to combine facilities here with those in the Province of Quebec in the first U.S.-Canadian bi-national Olympic bid offers an opportunity "to showcase the nation and the great state of New York" to an audience of three and a half billion people. With the New York part of the project headed by former state Sen. Ron Stafford, who led the successful drive to bring the 1980 Games to Lake Placid, matters are in good hands for a repeat in 2014 or 2018, Zeltmann said. He made his remarks at the sixth annual Congressional Challenge, a winter sports competition for legislators and their staffs. The Power Authority is a sponsor of the event. The Village of Lake Placid's municipal electric system is a Power Authority customer, and NYPA provided the electricity for the 1980 Games.

WHITE PLAINS: NYPA Upgrades Library's Cooling System—The Power Authority has begun installation at the main library here of two new 150-ton high-efficiency electric centrifugal chillers, designed to cool water for air conditioning. The new cooling system will replace existing 30-year-old equipment nearing the end of its useful life and provide higher reliability, lower operating and maintenance costs, and increased energy efficiency for the three-story library. The new units and associated pumps, cooling towers and piping will reduce the library's energy costs by about $5,100 annually.

NORTH BLENHEIM: Cold and Snow Give Recreation Day a Lift— The third annual indoor/outdoor winter recreation festival at the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project's visitors center, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 22, from noon to 4 p.m., may see a little more outdoor time as a result of the recent cold weather. The admission-free festival features demonstrations of snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing; sled dogs and sleigh rides. In recent years, when there was little snowfall, the festival had to make do with indoor demonstrations of many of the outdoor activities, with horse-drawn buggies in lieu of sleds, for example. This year, the organizers are anticipating a big turnout, and a base of one foot of snow should help to ensure a ton of winter fun. Food and hot beverages will be available for sale. For more information, call 1-800-724-0309.

In the Community: Children were scheduled to make Valentine art and participate in hands-on electrifying activities at He"arts", Energy and More! at the Niagara Power Project's visitors center, Lewiston, Feb. 8….Kevin Smith, operations supervisor, and other NYPA staff members at the Richard M. Flynn Power Plant, Holtsville, gave a tour of the plant to engineering students at the United States Merchant Marine Academy who are studying the heat-rate cycle of combined-cycle power plants such as Flynn, Jan. 30….NYPA's White Plains employees donated 51 pints of blood in a drive sponsored by the Hudson Valley Blood Services, which distributes the blood to more than 200 local hospitals, Jan. 30….NYPA employees also contributed $65,286 to the 2002/2003 SEFA/United Way Campaign, exceeding last year's contribution by more than $6,000….Cross-country ski trails for beginners, intermediates and experts are open to the public on the grounds of the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project, Gilboa. Free loans of snowshoes are available (photo identification is required) at the project's visitors center, North Blenheim, and hot beverages are for sale.