NORTHERN NEW YORK: Recreation Projects Near Completion— The first phase of NYPA-funded recreational improvements in Lisbon, Massena and Waddington in connection with the relicensing of the Power Authority’s St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project is scheduled for completion in May, in time for the summer tourism season. At local town beaches and parks, work is proceeding on new or refurbished bathhouses, playgrounds, septic systems, beach and parking areas, recreation fields, tennis courts, boat launches, electrified camp sites, floating docks and breakwaters. Phase two improvements in Massena and Waddington and improvements in Louisville will begin in May and are slated for completion by the spring of 2007. Power Authority-funded renovations and improvements at Robert Moses and Coles Creek state parks have begun and will continue through 2009. The Thousand Islands Region of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is conducting the work at the state parks. The improvements stem from the St. Lawrence-FDR project’s new 50-year federal license, issued to NYPA in October 2003.

SUFFOLK COUNTY: NYPA Helps Save Energy on Eastern L.I.—The Power Authority’s energy-efficiency programs for public facilities in Suffolk County are saving taxpayers more than $8 million annually through lower energy costs. The projects also reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by more than 37 million tons per year. More than 55 projects involving 187 facilities have been completed. The work ranges from improvements to heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems and high-efficiency lighting to installation of energy management systems for entire structures. Many of the programs have involved elementary, junior high and high schools, public libraries and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Additional energy-efficiency projects are under way for the Suffolk County Department of Public Works at three locations and at 11 Eastern Suffolk BOCES facilities. In most cases, the Power Authority provides financing and coordinates installation work, with the costs repaid through the energy savings.

BROOKLYN: New Boilers to Cut Energy Costs for Public Library— A June completion is anticipated for NYPA’s installation of three new boilers at Brooklyn’s Central Library, replacing nearly 70-year-old units at the flagship facility for the nation’s fifth largest public library system. The $5.8 million project at the Art Deco-styled building includes low-pressure steam boilers fueled by natural gas and clean-burning No. 2 oil. Power Authority crews are also implementing a major electrical service upgrade and have conducted an asbestos abatement program throughout the boiler room and ceiling. The three-story library, in the shape of an open book, is the heart of Brooklyn’s 58-library network, annually serving close to 2 million visitors, equivalent to the borough’s entire population.

LEWISTON: Renovations Set at Power Vista Community Room— The Power Authority has announced plans to renovate the community room at the Niagara Power Project’s Power Vista visitors center, which is available to school groups and other non-profit organizations for meetings and special events. Located in the lower level of the project’s visitors center, the glass-enclosed community room is adjacent to an outdoor patio that overlooks the Niagara River gorge and is often used for public functions hosted by NYPA. The planned renovations, expected to start this summer and be completed by year’s end, will permit more groups to use the facility. Opened in 1963, the admission-free visitors center has received more than 6 million visitors from around the world. An extensive upgrade of many of its interactive displays and exhibits was completed in 2001. The center’s exhibit area will remain open to the public during the community-room renovations.

NIAGARA FALLS: NYPA Computers Donated to High School— The Power Authority has delivered 10 surplus computers to Niagara Falls High School as part of its program to make refurbished computers available to schools statewide. NYPA uses about 1,500 computers in its normal operations, with approximately 200 available for donation to schools each year. The computers presented to Niagara Falls High School on March 14 were thoroughly cleaned and equipped with new operating systems. The Power Authority has provided about 400 reconditioned computers to schools statewide through the program.

In the Community: The Blenheim Gilboa Power Project’s visitors center played host to Story Hour for the Blenheim Head Start program, April 6….Cathy Blood, senior community relations representative, gave a presentation on The New York Power Authority in Western New York to the Niagara Women’s Club, Niagara Falls, April 6….Jackie Copeland, an Ossining resident who is a senior systems analyst in NYPA’s White Plains office, was honored as the Power Authority's 2004 Black Achiever at the Harlem Y's 35th annual Salute to Black Achievers in Industry dinner, New York City, March 31…..Carol Rodino, community relations manager, discussed careers in the utility industry at the Holland Patent Middle School, March 30….Eric Alemany and Maribel Cruz, conservation program engineers, spoke to the Wednesday Men’s Club at the Scarsdale Jewish Community Center on Electrical Safety in the Home, March 23….An exhibit on the Niagara Power Project was on view at the State University of New York at Buffalo at the fourth annual engineering seminar and exhibition for high school students, sponsored by the Technical Societies Council of the Niagara Frontier Engineering Opportunities Program and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, March 12.