ALBANY: New Power for Jobs™ Allocations Help Create 307 Jobs— More than 300 jobs will be created and more than 3,000 existing jobs protected by 13 employers across New York as a result of the latest allocations of low-cost electricity under the NYPA-administered Power for Jobs program. Gov. George E. Pataki announced the new allocations on May 20, following their approval by the Power Authority's trustees. The trustees also approved reallocations of Power for Jobs electricity to 21 other employers whose contracts were expiring. In all, the new and existing customers pledged nearly 6,300 jobs. Among the new customers are Finch Pruyn & Co., Glens Falls, which committed to add 80 jobs; BorgWarner Morse TEC Corp., Cortland, with 50 new jobs; Hand Held Products, Skaneateles Falls, with 60 new jobs; and Jasco Tools, Rochester, with 24 new jobs. Power for Jobs, launched in 1997, was revised last year to make power available to existing and new customers through 2005. The program is linked to more than 300,000 jobs statewide.

WHITE PLAINS: Supplier Diversity Purchasing Exchange on Tap— The Power Authority will host its 13th annual purchasing exchange for minority- and women-owned businesses at its White Plains office on June 12. The event, co-sponsored, as in the past, by the National Minority Business Council, is expected to attract vendors representing more than 200 eligible firms seeking to do business with close to two dozen corporate and governmental entities. NYPA has conducted more than $350 million worth of business with minority- and women-owned businesses across the state since 1983. Admission is free to the vendor fair, which will run from noon to 4 p.m. Participants are asked to register in advance by contacting Debra White at (914)-681-6976 or Debra.White@nypa.gov.

YONKERS: Skating Rink Upgrades to Trim City's Energy Bill— Rising maintenance for two aging chillers at the City of Yonkers' popular E. J. Murray Memorial Skating Center prompted managers to ask NYPA for upgrade recommendations. An analysis revealed that in addition to failing chillers, the rink's outdated design included an uninsulated corrugated metal roof, which radiated the sun's heat onto the ice, and, less obviously, no below-ground insulation, resulting in uneven ice surfaces. Power Authority crews have begun installing new energy-efficient chillers and roof insulation, as well as a new insulation slab below the ice's surface. They will also enclose the rink's south-facing open side to protect it from the sun's rays. Energy and maintenance savings are expected to come to more than $60,000 annually after the $1,270,000 project is completed in the fall.

BALDWINSVILLE: Village to Purchase NYPA Facility— The Village of Baldwinsville will acquire a former NYPA transmission-line maintenance facility here for use as a new site for the village's Department of Public Works. Power Authority trustees on May 20 approved the sale of the 12.63-acre property for $300,000. The one-story steel-and-concrete maintenance facility, containing garage facilities and a variety of office and conference rooms, was built in 1961 and used to maintain a portion of the high-voltage transmission line that links the Niagara Power Project in Lewiston to other parts of the state. A decision to centralize transmission line maintenance at the Power Authority's Clark Energy Center in Marcy made the Baldwinsville facility surplus. An appraisal of the land and improvements had determined their fair market value to be $300,000.

MASSENA: NYPA Marks Heritage Day With Concert, Fireworks— Massena's Annual Heritage Day Festival, sponsored by the Massena Chamber of Commerce, just got a bit better with the Power Authority's plans to host an evening concert and a fireworks display on Saturday, June 7. The concert, part of the event's grand finale, will be performed by the Tenth Mountain Division Band of Fort Drum in Watertown and will include patriotic music, big-band jazz, symphonic music and military marches. The festival will kick off Friday evening, June 6, with a carnival, fireworks and a nightlong relay to benefit the American Cancer Society. The carnival will continue on Saturday, and the festivities will conclude with the NYPA-sponsored concert in Springs Park and fireworks at Bushnell Field. Massena is home to the St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project, NYPA's first generating facility.

NORTH BLENHEIM: Car Show at B-G Center to Benefit DARE— For the sixth year running, the Power Authority's Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project visitors center will provide the scenic backdrop for the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Antique Car Show and Fair, benefiting the Schoharie County Sheriff's anti-drug programs, on June 8. This year, organizers are expecting approximately 300 classic cars (at least 25 years old), and at the opposite end of the spectrum, some state-of-the-art electric vehicles from Mine Kill State Park. The cars will be judged in a variety of categories, including best of show, age and condition. For information, call 1-(800)-724-0309.

In the Community: The Power Authority was scheduled to provide an electric vehicle and a NYPA information booth at the Niagara Community Fair, Niagara Falls, and the 100th American Craftsmen Festival, Lockport, May 31-June 1….NYPA electric vehicles were also on display in the Niagara Regional Traffic Safety Program, sponsored by the Niagara County Sheriff's Department, at Niagara Falls Air Force Base, May 19-28; the Saratoga Festival Dressage, Saratoga Springs, May 24-26; Public School 21, Yonkers, May 23; and Senior Citizens' Day, sponsored by the Schoharie County Office for the Aging, Schoharie, May 22….Power Authority staff gave Basics of Electricity presentations to the 66th Street Middle School, Niagara Falls, May 28; the Errick Road School, Tonawanda, and the Lake Placid Elementary School, both on May 22; and the Ogdensburg Middle School, May 15….Arnie Talgo, senior policy analyst, spoke to the Trenton Fish and Game Club on the Power Authority's electric-transportation program, May 21….NYPA co-sponsored the American Red Cross Hometown Heroes awards breakfast, recognizing efforts "above and beyond the call of duty" by fire and rescue services in eight Central New York counties, Albany, May 16.