HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-04-20 Newspaper - C'ville plans park project &Titan .1uxt ax ,
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April 20, 201-7 •
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Town has two years. toreplace Citi
zens Park at new site
By TODD R.McADAM ' er be converted to a bond. neering services to get the park Ratepayers who already buy municipalities to. collectidely
Managing Editor The new park would feature started. their power from a third-party bargain for power in an effortto
tmcadam@cortlandstandard.net a'variety of athletic facilities— • "We don't have any money, supplier wouldn't be part of the increase competition and reduce
CORTLANDVILLE — The soccer fields, baseball and soft- but we'll have the design docu- deal. costs.
town expects to issue a bond ball diamonds and other features. ments,"Tupper said. "It ends up being a big bulk The benefit,Gava said,is that
anticipation note to get started — as much to draw tourism Town officials and residents purchase,"Gava said. . like any collective bargaining
with work converting 90 acres dollars from organizations that • also considered a pitch by the In return for the bulk pur- agreement, the residents won't
of farmland on Route 13 into sponsor sporting tournaments as Municipal Energy and Gas Alli= chase, the customers would get fleeced by unfair provider
a new park, town officials said to give people a place to play. ance to join a multi-municipality save between 1 percent and 5 contracts, and will save money
Wednesday night. The expectation is that tour- consortium to buy electricity at percent of the commodity cost over what National Grid can of-
The town took possession of naments would draw hundreds a discount compared with what — the price'of the electricity fer.They'll also save the month-
the property, at Route •13 and of people to stay in the Cort- National Grid can offer. itself,-although,not the cost of 'ly fee utilities charge when they
Gracie Road from Gutchess land area for two or three days The idea, called community delivery that National Grid and have,to buy power for the cus-
Lumber Co. on Feb. 26, Town at a time, eating at restaurants, choice aggregation, allows mu- other utilities charge. • tomer. And they won't shave to
Attorney•John Folmer said at staying at hotels and rooting on nicipalities to bargain collec- , National Grid now charges do the research that the alliance
a'Town Board meeting. Now a friends and relatives. tively with power producers for , residential customers who pay provides when it goes throijgh
24-month clock is ticking to get Initial engineering estimates the best deal, said Louise Gava a fixed rate.about 2.8 cents per the competitive bidding pro-
the first two athletic fields ready to begin the process topped $6 of the nonprofit Ithaca-based kilowatt hour, plus the cost of cess. .t
for use so the town can turn over million, Tupper said. "We told utilities group. delivery.. . . The 'process begins when
possession of the 6-acre Citizens them they needed to go back Under .the agreement — The alliance got its start with the town attorney reaches"a
Park on Route 281 as part of the and pull stuff out." which Cortland and the village a partnership between Tomp- handshake agreement with.the
land swap with Gutchess. , Eventually, Tupper expects of Homer.have already joined, kins and Tioga counties nearly alliance and includes public
"We need to get started on the facility to cost $20 million she said — residents who nor- 20 years ago.Today,it includes education efforts, a local law to
that process," said Town 'Su- —but that's long in the future. mally buy their power from Na- 250 municipal governments authorize the agreement and.a
pervisor Richard Tupper, and For now, the board voted tional Grid would instead buy across the state. bidding process to pick,an elec-'
a $2 million bond anticipation unanimously to authorize Tup- it through the alliance. If they The program Gava outlined tricity provider. ,~
note, combined with $500,000 , per to reach agreements on the didn't like the deal, they could takes advantage of a ruling'the Folmer asked Gava Wednes-
the town already has, would let contracts for field designs,light- opt out of the program in a 30- New York Public Service Corn- day night for a gander at ;the
work begin.The note would'lat- ing plans and geotechnical engi- day window without penalty. mission issued last year to allow handshake agreement.