LEWISTON — Representatives from the New York Power Authority made a presentation to the town board Monday which detailed more than $3.7 million in upgrades and additions to Reservoir State Park which sits in both Lewiston and the Town of Niagara.

NYPA is in the final planning stages of construction for the large-scale project at the 133-acre park.

The project would use relicensing money for the construction of a winter pavilion and comfort station, which comes with the addition of a seasonal outdoor ice skating rink. Other additions will include expansion and upgrades to the existing basketball and tennis courts, rehabilitation and regrading of the existing baseball diamonds including mast lighting being added to one diamond. Officials said the existing maintenance building would be rehabilitate, the parking lots would be expanded and greenspace restoration, including the planting of numerous tress and landscaping would be conducted across the park. The soccer fields will be regraded to offer better drainage and a restroom facility will be constructed which will offer storage for organizations who use the soccer facilities at the park.

The power authority is seeking proper permits from the Town of Lewiston seeking the ability to work in the town right of way, along with making connections to town-owned water and sewer lines.

As a part of the 2007 relicensing of the Niagara Power Project, NYPA established a fund in the amount of $9.26 million to be used for capital improvements in New York State Parks. Robert A. Daly, a senior licensing specialist with NYPA, said $3.7 million was earmarked for Reservoir State Park, which is what he said is the “preliminary estimates” for the project.

Daly said NYPA will enter into an agreement with the State Parks following the project which will grant them an undetermined allocation of money to maintain the park.

The project bids are currently being reviewed by NYPA and ground will be broken in October with an expected fall 2011 completion date, Daly said.

Town board members expressed their support of the project while Supervisor Steven Reiter had a different message for NYPA officials.

“We want to work with NYPA, but it troubles me that all this money is going be spent on this park, and you know god bless spending money on parks, but I go down the street right here there is a big park in the Town of Lewiston called Joseph Davis and the grass is up to my chin, the parking lot is in deplorable condition, the construction work done there in the last two years has been nil. People want to use the fishing docks. People want to go in there and use the disc golf. People want to go in there and use the picnic shelter, but they were held hostage because they didn’t know if the park was going to be opened or not,” Reiter told the three NYPA representatives in attendance at Monday’s meeting.

Reiter then explained those in attendance about a bike path the town has been attempting to construct for the past nine years that would go along the Robert Moses and on to Route 104. Reiter said the town received a $2 million grant and have been fighting with NYPA and the Department of Transportation to get construction started, with no success.

“I can’t go back on the past, but you want permits from us, for the roads and the sewer and the water and we are willing to do it. But I have a $2 million bike path I want to do and every time I go up there I get a new story of how I have to go about doing it and it’s really frustrating,” he said.

Reiter said he wishes the town was offered the same opportunities to make public presentations regarding projects as NYPA.

Daly told Reiter NYPA is “more than willing” to work with the town on the bike path project.

In other meeting-related matters, the board announced the unexpected resignation of three town police officers and approved the hiring of their replacements.

The town board approved the hiring of Kevin Morse and Alan Gansworth as full-time police officers and Anthony Sicurella as a part-time police officer following his completion of the police academy. Following the meeting the town entered into an executive session to discuss the hiring of Jeffery Eckert. Board members indicated his hiring was a “sure thing,” but they could not be reached by phone Monday night.

Another part-time police officer position was put on hold until a later date as the town is still looking for ways to do more with less after the village withheld 3 percent or $36,000 in funding from the joint police account.

Reiter said village officials felt they were not receiving the same coverage from the Lewiston Police after the department changed headquarters from the Red Brick School House to its new facility on Creek Road in front of Lewiston-Porter.

When asked if taxes would be raised to make up the difference Reiter said no, but the town would have to readjust in order to fund the police department appropriately.