Correction: An earlier version of this story stated Otto-Cassada disapproved of Gov. Andrew M. Cumo's proposal. In fact the proposal opposed by Waddington's mayor was an agreement drawn up by NYPA and the local governement task force. NorthCountryNow.com regrets this error.

By JIMMY LAWTON

WADDINGTON -- Waddington Mayor Janet Otto-Cassada is disappointed with a relicensing agreement proposed by the New York Power Authority Wednesday that received much praise from local officials.

The deal was to bring to a close the review of the 2002 St. Lawrence FDR relicensing agreement between municipalities in Waddington, Massena, Louisville as well as St. Lawrence County and NYPA.

The town of Lisbon was also involved in the negotiations, but opted out of the agreement in exchange for NYPA returning several parcels of land.

“It’s a terrible deal. It’s the same thing that happened 10 years ago. NYPA basically shoves the agreement down your throat and says it’s this or nothing,” she said.

Cassada says the deal consists largely of promises that were supposed to have already been completed and does little to help the area’s economy.

The towns and villages of Massena and Waddington, as well as the town of Louisville and St. Lawrence County must approve the agreement finalize the deal.

Cassada said she does not support the deal and is hopeful the county will also reject it at Friday night’s meeting.

Cassada says signatories should consider accepting part of the agreement, that which will allow the sale of up to 20 megawatts of power to generate money for economic development, but that it should not be tied to the relicensing agreement.

Otto-Cassada said this deal was also included in a land claim memorandum recently approved by legislators and was originally struck part of an agreement between the St. Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency and the state.

“This is something they already promised. Why is it part of this agreement?” she asked.

Otto-Cassada says when looking through the agreement, very few promises are actually made. She said majority of the offer focuses on following through with promises it should have completed by now. She said the contract also includes language such as “this topic is still being discussed” in several areas, which she says leaves NYPA the option of not making good on the agreement.

Otto-Cassada says the agreement offers to provide $5 million in funding for economic development and marketing to a consulting firm, but does not offer money to help implement the plan once it is complete.

“We have done plenty of studies. We know what we need to do, but we don’t have the money to do it,” she said. “$5 million for a study isn’t going to garner economic development.”

Otto-Cassada said money would better be served on development instead of lining pockets of consultants.

Otto-Cassada said NYPA has also failed to make good on past agreements, but believes many people are afraid to speak about their disapproval for fear of retaliation by NYPA.

Otto-Cassada said she was also disappointed with language in the agreement that could offer low cost power to Jefferson and Franklin counties.

“What do they have to do with the relicensing agreement? Why are they benefitting from our loss? Why aren’t they helping our towns in our county?” she said.

Otto-Cassada said NYPA has refused to help Waddington put in a walking trail from Cole’s Creek to the village and has refused to maintain a bathhouse at the beach, which she says the agency is responsible for.

Otto-Cassada said she is unsure of how her fellow trustees will vote on the agreement, but said she will not support it’s passage.

A summary of the tentative agreement released by NYPA follows:

• Up to $5 million in funding for an economic development and strategic marketing and global search study by a top-tier management consulting firm to assist the LGTF communities to identify and attract businesses and industries. The study will include identifying alternatives to deploy and leverage existing monetary and power resources;

• The use by businesses and farms in St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Franklin counties of a large portion of hydropower—239 MW—that Alcoa temporarily relinquished at its Massena operations. The low-cost power will reduce electricity costs by a total of $10 million a year for up to three years;

• Initiation of an energy efficiency and renewable energy-savings program for LGTF government and school buildings that will include $1.5 million in grants to fund energy audits for identifying opportunities for reducing energy costs. The program will be aligned with the Governor’s statewide BuildSmart NY initiative for reducing energy use in public buildings by 20 percent by 2020;

• Funding support for emergency response infrastructure and services, anticipated for Massena Memorial Hospital, Louisville Company #2, and the Massena and Waddington rescue squads, with the amount to be determined by an ongoing study;

• Improvements to an emergency access road to Wilson Hill Island in the Town of Louisville and an evaluation of improving access to town property in the vicinity of the Iroquois Dam, part of the St. Lawrence-FDR project;

• Annual financial support for the maintenance of identified roads in the vicinity of the hydroelectric plant that are used by NYPA for its operations;

• Hiring an independent recreational facility consultant to assess possible measures for increased recreational boating opportunities and fishing tournaments to support additional tourism, with NYPA committing up to $7.5 million for the improvements;

• Additional funding of $1 million for a shoreline stabilization program for landowners adjacent to St. Lawrence-FDR within the Towns of Waddington, Louisville and Massena, with elimination of current restrictions on the length and cost of the erosion mitigation initiatives; and

• Working with the LGTF, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and outdoor fishing clubs to identify additional opportunities to enhance walleye spawning in upstream tributaries of the St. Lawrence River.