Published: January 18, 2008 08:00 pm      

GREENWAY: State parks first to get green

$2.6 million approved for improvements and planning for nearby parks

Five projects, $2.6 million and history in the making.

A sparse audience at the steep Niagara Falls State Park Visitors Center auditorium witnessed the passage of all three on Friday.

A committee — made up of the state power authority and state Office of Parks — unanimously passed all of the projects before it and were the first to use power authority relicensing settlement money along the Niagara River Greenway.

They will fund planning and improvements as part of a larger move to revive nearby state parks, which have fallen into disrepair after decades of improper state funding.

But the larger significance was the realization of settlement money going towards projects along the greenway — a process with an extensive history of debate, public input and criticism.

“This is indeed a historic moment in Niagara Falls,” local historian Paul Gromosiak said. “It’s been a dream of mine for 65 years. I’ve been waiting patiently.”

Settlements a long process

The settlements were made possible when the power authority’s 50-year license to operate the Niagara Power Project expired in August 2007. The power authority was forced to negotiate with various public entities before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would grant them a new 50-year license.

Finally, after years of negotiation, state parks approved the greenway plan in May 2007, the last of the numerous parties involved to approve the settlements. In addition to individual agreements with stakeholders, $450 million in projects will be available over the next 50 years as a result of the relicensing settlements. Four different committees control which projects are funded.

Money for greenway projects became available at various times towards the end of 2007, but projects had to be submitted the Niagara River Greenway Commission for consultation before they could be approved. The greenway commission approved eleven projects on Tuesday and they were sent to their various committees.

The first five projects

The projects approved Friday were generally praised by audience members and officials as honoring the goal of the greenway. They included:

n A comprehensive plan to restore Goat Island in Niagara Falls State Park which will bring together preliminary studies over the past five years. The plan will be partially funded by $75,000 in greenway money.

n Restoration projects on Three Sisters Island in Niagara Falls State Park. $700,000 will go towards planning, design and improvements in an attempt to restore it to Frederick Law Olmsted’s original vision.

n Restoration projects to Luna Island and Stedman’s Bluff in Niagara Falls State Park, where visitor foot traffic has ruined lawns, trees and yards. The project will receive $650,000 in funding.

n Rebuilding retaining walls, replacing railing and other improvements at the Whirlpool State Park Rim Trail and overlook. The project will receive $500,000 in funding.

n Improvements and new signs on the trail system between Whirlpool State Park and Devil’s Hole State Park.

All projects will be completed by 2009.

“This park needs tremendous investment,” said Mark Thomas, western district director for the parks office. “There have not been enough state capital funds over the years to rejuvenate the park and keep it in its natural beauty state.”

More projects unveiled, but not funded

State parks wasn’t the only committee to meet on Friday — members of the host communities committee met to consider projects as well, although they did not act on them because they have still not agreed to a set of standards for accepting applications.

Lewiston-Porter Central School District and the Town of Niagara both gave presentations to the group and surrounding audience and received feedback based on their presentations.

n Lew-Port hopes to apply $420,000 — it’s cut of the $3 million the committee will receive each year — towards future phases of the school’s $28.8 million capital project, including new baseball fields, track facilities, walking and bicycling paths, locker rooms and facility maintenance. The first phase, an artificial turf, all-season, multi-purpose football field has already been completed and will be paid for by other power authority funds.

An extensive team of consultants and school administrators lobbied for the project, pointing out its potential for large events and use by community members. Lew-Port does not yet have a formal application for its project, district Interim Superintendent Don Rappold said at the meeting. It has not yet sought consultation with the greenway commission.

n The Town of Niagara presented the last phase of construction at Veterans Memorial Park, the 142-acre piece of property the town has turned into a park. The total project cost is over $6 million, though Town Supervisor Steven Richards said they’re only seeking about $3 million of that over five years from the settlement money. The last phase will include a 22,000-square foot community center, amphitheater and athletic facilities. The project received unanimous approval by the greenway commission on Tuesday.

Before the host communities accept any projects, they must agree on the standards for accepting applications. A debate has raged among its members — Niagara County municipalities and school districts — and the power authority over how to agree if a project is consistent with the greenway plan.

But the other three committees appear ready to start making use of the settlement funds.

“It’s fitting that the first greenway funding from the (relicensing) will go to projects in Western New York state parks as they exemplify the environment and economic goals of the Niagara River Greenway,” power authority president and chief executive officer Roger Kelley said in a release. “These initiatives reflect the spirit of (Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s) plan for reinvigorating upstate’s parks as part of his vision for enhancing quality of life in the region and giving a boost to tourism and other business.”