Board seeks more power

by Joshua Maloni
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, December 9, 2006

Congress, in 1957, required 445 megawatts of electrical power be sold to industries that formerly relied on low-cost power from the Schoellkopf Hydroelectric Plant, a facility that was destroyed in 1956 by a rockslide.

Today, the Village of Lewiston Board wants its power back.

On Monday, trustees adopted a resolution that supports “the immediate and permanent return of the 70 megawatts of Replacement Power which was taken from the region within the 30-mile radius of the Niagara Power Project, and sold on the open market to create cost savings benefits for other businesses statewide.”

On Oct. 17, the Niagara County Legislature unanimously approved such a resolution. One month later, Legislature Chairman William Ross and Anthony W. McKenna, chairman of the Niagara USA Chamber, wrote a letter to the Village Board encouraging similar action.

A criterion for replacement power allocation was established in the 1960s.

The legislature and board both stated their desire for what the letter calls “more flexible criteria used to allocate low-cost hydropower in order to reflect today’s ‘new economy’ as well as the continuation of the Power for Jobs program.”

Power for Jobs was created by Gov. George Pataki nine years ago and is administered by the New York Power Authority. It offers employers a 10-25 percent savings on electricity bills in return for contractually specific job levels. In other words, a specified number of kilowatts of lower-cost electricity are traded for more jobs added.

“We shouldn’t send anything away unless we can get it back at a lower rate,” said Trustee Bill Geiben.

“We agree we all want to keep it here,” said Mayor Richard Soluri.

In Other News

•The Zoning Board of Appeals will evaluate Jeff and Jerry Williams’ proposal to expand their Village Cove/Brockway Apartments complex on Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 6:30 p.m., in the Red Brick Municipal Building. Last month, the Planning Board determined the project would require 14 variances – both use and area – to be completed legally. New York state law, §7-712 Zoning board of appeals, reads a use variance “shall mean the authorization by the zoning board of appeals for the use of land for a purpose which is otherwise not allowed or is prohibited by the applicable zoning regulations.” An area variance “shall mean the authorization by the zoning board of appeals for the use of land in a manner which is not allowed by the dimensional or physical requirements of the applicable zoning regulations.”

Depending on what happens Tuesday, the Planning Board will likely address the project at its meeting on Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m.

For the history of this proposal, visit http://wnypapers.com/sentinel/sentinel.htm.

•A public hearing will be held Monday, Dec. 18, at 6 p.m., on the advisability of adding a local law regarding sex offender registration that mirrors what the Town of Lewiston uses.

There will also be a public hearing on adopting the uniform fire prevention and building code.