Lewiston in the red with greenway funds

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LOCAL Sig

August 8, 2010

By Nick Mattera Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Sun Aug 08, 2010, 07:44 PM EDT

LEWISTON — Funding for Niagara River Greenway projects is looking red for the Town of Lewiston, as more than $1.1 million has been allocated for seven projects in less than three months.

The town, according to Budget Director Michael Johnson, receives $510,000 in annual funding from the New York Power Authority, thanks to the 2008 Host Community Relicensing Settlement Agreement and as of April 30, $1.154 million dollars was on hand in its greenway account.

Since May, the town has been granted approval to move forward with seven projects from the Niagara River Greenway Commission, totaling $1.114 million. Leaving the town with just $40,000 remaining in its greenway account.

The projects which have received approval from the Greenway Commission this year are:

• The Lewiston Plateau Dog Park, $51,000

• Kiwanis Park playground, $240,275

• Sanborn Streetscape Project, $323,799

• Sanborn Historical Society Farm Museum, $260,000

• Piper Law Office, $54,0000

• Porter-on-the-lake Master Plan, $25,000

• Artpark youth programs, $160,000

Just last week, the town submitted an additional proposal asking for $30,000 for a comfort station at a Lower River Road Park, if approved, the town would have blown through the majority of its two-year share of greenway money in just under four months.

In 2008, the town spent $180,000 on the Freedom Crossing monument located in the Village of Lewiston.

Johnson said all the greenway funds are tied to a separate account, and are not intertwined with any of the town’s regular business accounts. He said the town was careful to not go over its allotment, but are expected to receive another payment of $510,000 “shortly.” The funding has traditionally been allocated to the different entities in early July.

“We are using the money for what it was intended for,” Johnson said.

The Host Community Committee, which was established as a result of the Relicensing of the New York Power Authority, controls the spending of $9 million annually for 50 years to fund greenway projects which are reviewed by a commission. The commission essentially offers a recommendation to the host committee, who then will decide whether funding should be approved or not. The host committee is made up of representatives from Niagara County, the City of Niagara Falls, the Power Authority, the towns of Lewiston and Niagara and the Niagara Falls, Lewiston-Porter and Niagara-Wheatfield school districts.

Other entities have been conservative with its greenway money. The Niagara-Wheatfield and the Niagara Falls school district’s have not utilized any of its funding, according to documents on the Host Community’s website.

The Town of Niagara and Lewiston-Porter have used greenway funding to aid in large-scale capital projects and Niagara County has endorsed just three projects totaling $763,020.

The town’s dog park will officially open for operation on Aug. 24 and ground will be broken this month on both the Sanborn streetscape project and the Sanborn Historical Society project.

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