MASSENA: Seymour Elected Power Authority Chairman— Joseph Seymour was elected chairman of the Power Authority for the second time during a meeting of NYPA trustees July 26 at the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project here. Seymour previously served as the Power Authority’s chairman and chief executive officer from February 2001 to January 2002, before Gov. George Pataki named him executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He served in that capacity until October 2004, and has remained a Power Authority trustee. Seymour replaces Louis Ciminelli, who served as chairman from 2002 until last month, when he resigned to devote full attention to his Western New York construction company. Governor Pataki appointed Elise Cusack, an Erie County legislator, to fill Ciminelli’s vacancy on the board. The governor has also named NYPA Trustee Frank McCullough Jr. as chairman of the New York State Economic Development Power Allocation Board (EDPAB), replacing Ciminelli in that role. EDPAB reviews applications and makes recommendations for allocations of lower-cost electricity for two major job-producing power programs administered by NYPA.

MASSENA: Trustees Celebrate North Country Improvements—NYPA built its new Hawkins Point Visitors Center as a multi-purpose facility, and on July 26 it met that goal. In the morning it was the setting for a meeting of the Power Authority’s trustees, and later it provided space for a community picnic celebrating the site’s formal grand opening. The trustees, including newly elected Chairman Joseph Seymour, were joined by state and local officials at a ribbon cutting for the $5 million visitors center, which replaces a facility previously located inside NYPA’s St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project. The original visitors center was closed for security reasons shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The new facility is among improvements scheduled for Hawkins Point Overlook as part of the St. Lawrence-FDR project’s relicensing. The others are a new fishing pier, a rehabilitated boat launch and dock and expanded parking. Following the ribbon cutting, local residents and NYPA employees enjoyed a barbecue lunch on the center’s grounds. The day before, the trustees toured recreational facilities where NYPA-funded improvements were recently completed. The sites visited were Waddington Town Beach, Whittaker Park in the Village of Waddington, Massena Town Beach and Coles Creek State Park. Additional NYPA-funded work is under way at other state and local parks in the North Country.

PEEKSKILL: Power Authority Honored By Peekskill Celebration— Sponsors of the Peekskill Celebration are scheduled to honor NYPA on Aug. 4 for its support of the annual event since its inception 10 years ago. Officials will express their appreciation during ceremonies to kick off this year’s four-day Celebration, set for Aug. 4-7 at Riverfront Green Park, Downtown Peekskill and Charles Point Park. This year the Power Authority will sponsor a Friday night concert by Joey D and the Starliters; will assist with a classic car show on Saturday; and will have an electric vehicle on display throughout the festival. The highlight of the Celebration will be a fireworks display on Saturday night.

ROME: NYPA Supports Honor America Days and WWII Salute – For the fourth year, the Power Authority continued its support of the annual “Honor America Days” celebration sponsored by the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce. This year’s theme is “Unity – Let’s Get It Together.” The events were to begin on July 31 with a 5K Parade Run organized by the Roman Runners, followed by a parade with marching bands from across the region expected to draw more than 10,000 spectators. Afternoon ice-cream socials were to precede an evening concert by the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, culminating in a fireworks display by American Fireworks of Utica with an expected attendance of 30,000. As part of the continuing celebration, the Rome Rotary Club will conduct a fishing derby on Aug. 6. On Aug. 14 there will be a grand finale USO-style performance commemorating the 60th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II and saluting those who served at home or overseas. William Guglielmo, chamber president since 1996, says the best thing about the event is “that people feel good about living in a community that demonstrates its patriotism.”

NEW YORK CITY: Luncheon Event Assists Minority Businesses— The Power Authority assisted the Hudson River Park Trust in conducting an event to acquaint minority- and women-owned business enterprises with ways to secure contracts in the public sector. The barbecue luncheon was held in late July at the Hudson River Park’s Pier 40 Picnic House in Lower Manhattan. The business owners heard strategies presented by consultants, contractors and construction professionals. The Power Authority has also worked with the Hudson River Park Trust in supplying lighting for Pier 40 soccer fields, and electric utility vehicles for the 550-acre park on Manhattan’s West Side. The Trust is a joint state and city organization created to build and operate the five-mile long park.

NASSAU COUNTY: NYPA Projects Reduce Electricity Use—Taxpayers in Nassau County are saving more than $5 million per year in energy costs thanks to the Power Authority’s energy-efficiency programs at public facilities. The projects also reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by about 26,000 tons per year. Sixty-three projects involving 174 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. Recent major projects have included work at Long Beach City Schools, public buildings in the Village of Valley Stream, Nassau County Community College and Nassau University Medical Center. The more than $30 million in installation costs for the work to date will be repaid through the energy savings. The projects reduce peak demand for power by more than 12,000 kilowatts, which takes on added significance during this summer of record electricity use in the New York City region.

In the Community: Ed Szpala, NYPA construction superintendent, spoke to members of the Rochester Athenaeum on the construction and operation of the Niagara Power Project, July 26…NYPA representatives gave presentations on the basics of electricity to children at the Youngstown Recreation Summer program, July 26, and the Kids of the Kingdom St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy Day Camp, July 20…Maryann Falls, manager, speakers bureau and employee communications, spoke to the Woodside Senior Center, Queens, on electrical safety in the home, July 21…Joe Leary, director of southeast New York public and governmental affairs, spoke to the Staten Island Rotary on NYPA’s initiatives in New York City, July 19…The Power Authority’s electric vehicles were on display at the Harlem Book Fair, July 23, and the Town of Wheatfield Family Picnic, July 17…The new Hawkins Point visitors center at the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project, Massena, hosted meetings for the St. Lawrence County School Superintendents’ conference, July 18-21, and the St. Lawrence County Environmental Management Council, July 19. All of the Power Authority’s visitors centers are available for the public to hold meetings. To arrange for a meeting place, contact the visitors center directly; the telephone numbers can be found on our website at www.nypa.gov  .