An agreement now is in place to bring $16 million and 20 megawatts of hydropower here, but officials say there is plenty of work still to be done to ensure the effective use of the resources and to tackle other New York Power Authority-related issues.
Those who had been critical of the pact — and who have raised a number of issues about how the region has been treated by NYPA — plan to continue pushing for a better deal for the communities that play host to the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project.
Massena Supervisor Joseph D. Gray and Waddington Supervisor Mark Scott have been vocal in their criticism of the power authority and their desire that host communities be better compensated for the sacrifices made to allow the hydropower project to operate here.
Both men had hoped to pressure NYPA to pay interest on the $16 million, which has been sitting in the state authority's coffers for nearly a decade.
But other members of the Local Government Task Force, the group ultimately responsible for coming up with the plan NYPA signed last week, said requests for the interest repeatedly had been denied. The group voted to move forward with a contract that did not include interest payments.
While the contract has been signed, neither Mr. Scott nor Mr. Gray is prepared to deem the issue over.
"I think there's a lot of issues that we still need to speak with the power authority about," Mr. Scott said. "While we're pleased with the money and power coming to the community, I don't think this is the end."
Despite the group's decision to move forward with a contract that did not gain the approval of all members, Mr. Gray said he does not feel the concerns raised by any of the members were ignored.
"I don't think anything is over with," Mr. Gray said. "I think, here in Massena, the discussions will go on as long as Massena and the power authority are here. I would hope that relationship will continue to evolve."
My. Gray's main concern is putting the money and power to work in a meaningful way.
"The bottom line is, this money needs to be turned into jobs as quickly as possible," he said. "Those jobs aren't more people on the county payroll with the IDA. We need to make sure the money we spend on economic-development projects are more specifically put forth as job-development projects."
Despite the agreement, a number of NYPA-related issues remain.
Community members have asked the group to look into topics including the repair or reconstruction of shorelines impacted by the power dam; issues related to fishing, docks and boat launches, the use of lands returned during the relicensing, and recreation and other concerns.
Local Government Task Force Chairman Robert O. McNeil has said the group will pick up a number of those issues now that the creation of the St. Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency has succeeded.
Mr. Scott said the group also should continue conversations about how NYPA can give back to the host communities — a discussion he believes is long overdue.
"I think we need to encourage the power authority to do whatever they can to make up for past losses to the host communities," he said. "For 50 years, they hadn't paid the communities anything, so a lot has been lost. I think they recognize that, and I'm hopeful, as we continue discussions, that there will be additional benefits."
In terms of the task force, Mr. Gray said he hopes there also will be discussion about how the group functions and what its role is moving forward.
"There was a time when I thought the task force may be moot or have run its course," he said. "As I get more into this job, and this project that is the task force, I think its importance has solidified for me."
The task force is scheduled to hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Waddington library.
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