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| Week of Feb. 13, 2005 |
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PEEKSKILL: Streets to Sparkle With Brighter Traffic Signals— With
NYPA's help, more than 600 LED (light-emitting diode) traffic and pedestrian
countdown signals—noticeably brighter and far more efficient than those they
will replace—will soon line streets here. The green, red, yellow and white
precision-lensed LED modules will use about 90 percent less energy and last
up to 10 times longer than their incandescent predecessors. "Improving the
visibility of many of our traffic and cross-walk signals is a bright idea
that will save Peekskill taxpayers money through lower energy and
maintenance costs," said Mayor John Testa. The $96,000 project, to be
completed by the end of March, is the first NYPA-directed installation of
its kind in Westchester County. The Power Authority, which also provided
low-cost financing, is scheduled to begin a similar project in the City of
New Rochelle later in February. NYPA has been involved in a wide variety of
LED signal projects, including work for New York City Transit and in the
Borough of Queens. WHITE PLAINS: Tree Power Program Gearing Up for Spring— Branches may still be bare (or bearing fresh-fallen snow), but participants in NYPA's Tree Power program are thinking of spring and how many trees they plan to order this year. The Power Authority's municipal and rural cooperative electric system customers will soon receive their annual order solicitation letters from the New York State Nursery/Landscape Association. Also as part of the program, NYPA's governmental customers in Southeastern New York order trees through the Power Authority; NYPA staff members plan to contact them by March. In each case, customers take advantage of a "buy one, get one free" offer, choosing from among nine different varieties of trees. Because of the strong response in years past, customers may be limited in the number of trees they can order. Since NYPA began its Tree Power program in 1991, participants have planted more than 35,000 new trees across New York State. Governmental customers can obtain more information by contacting Alicia Baly at 914-287-3495 or at Alicia.baly@nypa.gov. GILBOA: NYPA Contributes $75,000 for Shoreline Stabilization— The Power Authority is assisting the Town of Gilboa in stabilizing a section of the bank along Schoharie Creek to reduce future flooding problems. NYPA is contributing $75,000 to the town for the project and is helping to acquire all necessary permits from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The work will involve 3,600 feet of the creek bank near Old Stryker Road, which was damaged during flooding in 1996. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has designated the area as a flood plain that may not be developed for 99 years. An engineering consultant hired by NYPA recommended regrading about 150 feet of the left bank to pre-1996 contours and relocating large boulders from the center of the stream to construct a rock vane to stabilize the right bank. The section of Schoharie Creek to be stabilized is upstream from the Power Authority's Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project. YONKERS: Efficiency Projects Reduce City's Energy Costs— The Power Authority has implemented more than $10 million worth of energy-efficiency projects at public facilities in the city since 1991, with work at nine public schools, 15 municipal buildings and two public parks. The projects produce savings to taxpayers of nearly $1.4 million a year; cut the city's electricity demand by three megawatts, compared with pre-1991 levels; and avoid the release of about 9,000 tons of greenhouse gases a year. Projects have included upgrading municipal-building and classroom lighting with brighter, more-efficient fluorescent fixtures and installing 400 insulated windows at a historically important 140-year-old building, helping to transform it into the Nepperhan Valley Technology Center. The Power Authority also installed new high-efficiency chillers and floor insulation at two ice skating rinks. NYPA anticipates partnering with the city on additional projects in 2005 and beyond. STATEN ISLAND: NYPA to Help Fund Hospital Upgrade— The Power Authority was scheduled to present a $400,000 check to St. Vincent's Hospital on Feb. 11 to help finance energy-efficiency projects that will lower the hospital's energy costs and improve local air quality by reducing the facility's fuel use. An energy appraisal conducted by NYPA engineers in cooperation with St. Vincent's facility management has targeted modifications to the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems of the hospital's Elizabeth Ann Seton, Sister Loretto Bernard and residence staff buildings. Work is scheduled to begin by this summer and be completed by year's end. The Power Authority has completed energy-efficiency projects at more than 60 Staten Island public facilities, cutting electric bills by about $2 million a year and avoiding the release of more than 15,600 tons of greenhouse gases annually. NORTH BLENHEIM: Winter Festival Set for Visitors Center—Just bring warm clothes; the Power Authority and Mother Nature will provide everything else needed for a day of free family fun at the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project visitors center's fifth annual Winter Festival, set for Saturday, Feb. 19, from noon to 3 p.m. Among the outdoor activities will be horse-drawn sleigh rides and demonstrations of snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Inside the center, presentations will focus on bald eagles and New York State fire towers, and a children's puppet show is also scheduled. This year's festival was timed to kick off a three-day Winter Break series of free activities for schoolchildren, on Feb. 22, 23 and 24. On Tuesday, an interactive science program is planned. Wednesday's session will be devoted to decorating T-shirts with animal tracks and Thursday's to creating soap sculptures. The programs will begin at 10:30 a.m. To make a reservation or for more information, call 800-724-0309. (The visitors center also presents free Sunday movie matinees in February, starting at 2 p.m. Visit: www.nypa.gov/vc/calendar for details.) In the Community: The Niagara Power Project's visitors center was scheduled to play host to a free Valentine's Day event, Hearts, Energy & More, featuring an electric show, Valentine crafts and face painting, Lewiston, Feb. 12….Connie Cullen, senior information specialist, spoke to the Mount Kisco Rotary Club on the Power Authority's initiatives in Westchester, Feb. 9….Carol Simpson, community relations representative, gave presentations on The Basics of Electricity at the Kennedy Elementary School, Ogdensburg, Feb. 9, and the Colton-Pierrepont Central School, Jan. 27….Jackie Copeland, senior systems analyst, was among those honored at the fifth annual Governor's Tribute to African-American Leaders in State Service, Albany, Feb. 1…..Evelyn Evans, public and governmental affairs representative, gave a presentation on electrical safety to students at the Hungerford School, Staten Island, Jan. 28….Employees at the Power Authority's White Plains office donated 38 pints of blood in a drive sponsored by the Hudson Valley Blood Services, which distributes blood to more than 200 local hospitals, Jan. 25….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. |