New York Power Authority trustees have approved a $431,000 bid to build a new Nature Center at Robert Moses State Park in Massena after the original building burned in 2010.

They also approved a $10 million contract to refurbish the St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project’s thousand-foot Barnhart Island Bridge.

Stieglitz Snyder Architecture of Buffalo will build the Nature Center, and Atlas Painting and Sheeting of Amherst will rebuild the bridge.

“The Power Authority regularly undertakes important, worthwhile projects in Northern New York—the home of our St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project—in our partnering with New York State firms on these initiatives,” said Judge Eugene L. Nicandri, a NYPA trustee and Massena resident.

“The new Nature Center planned for Robert Moses State Park and the Barnhart Island Bridge refurbishing are perfect examples of our approach to the upkeep and responsible operation of the facilities at the St. Lawrence-FDR project and of our being a good neighbor in contributing to important community endeavors that closely tie in with our statutory mandate. These efforts also contribute to the state’s economy in our partnering with various businesses,” said Nicandri, former St. Lawrence County judge.

The three-year contract awarded to Stieglitz Snyder Architecture is for architectural, engineering and design services for the new Nature Center. The initial work is scheduled to begin in the fall, with building construction set to be completed in 2015.

The new center will have exhibits and classroom areas providing a natural science education for the public, schools and community groups.

Since shortly after the 2010 Nature Center fire, NYPA has provided the necessary funding for the continued operation of the center at temporary locations, including at the St. Lawrence-FDR visitors center and other sites within Robert Moses State Park, in advance of a permanent new facility in the park.

“We’re most appreciative of the Power Authority’s continuing support of the Nature Center operations and its rebuilding,” said Rick Marshall, president, Friends of Nature Center. “The Power Authority has been an indispensable partner to the Nature Center in the aftermath of the fire, in its recognizing the value of the center and of the importance of keeping it going.”

The two-year contract with Atlas Painting and Sheeting is for the painting and refurbishing of the St. Lawrence-FDR project’s Barnhart Island Bridge, the major link between the mainland and the generating project site.

The work will include surface preparation and painting, abrasive blasting, containment and disposal of lead-containing paint, the replacement of runway rail, the refurbishment of the existing maintenance trolley, and drainage system improvements. Work on the substructure will begin in 2013, with the entire restoration scheduled to be completed in 2014.

The more than 1,000-foot long bridge was built in 1956 by NYPA. The bridge was repainted in 1978 and rehabilitated in 1997, but the existing paint has exceeded its design life.