Upgrade part of $13 million redesign of three visitors centers

ENP STAFF REPORTS
news@eastniagarapost.com

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The visitors center in New York Power Authority's Lewiston power vista  will be getting an upgrade beginning this summer. (PHOTO  CONTRIBUTED BY NYPA)

WHITE PLAINS—The New York Power Authority is undertaking a more than $13 million modernization of its three hydroelectric project visitors centers in Western New York, Northern New York and the Northern Catskills, to upgrade the exhibits, displays and facilities. The comprehensive redesign and reconstruction will incorporate the latest hands-on interactive technologies and reflect the transformative changes occurring in New York State’s electric power industry, according to a press release from NYPA.

The state-of-the-art upgrades, including large touch screens, multimedia and exhibit connectivity to the Internet, will be undertaken at the Niagara Power Vista Visitors Center, in Lewiston; the Frank S. McCullough Jr. Hawkins Point Visitors Center, in Massena; and the Blenheim-Gilboa (B-G) Visitors Center, in North Blenheim. Last year, the three facilities drew nearly 200,000 visitors, as key tourist attractions for those parts of the state. In addition to their exhibits and displays on energy and NYPA power programs and customers, the facilities are community centers for special events, such as wildlife festivals, antique car shows, and Fourth of July and Halloween celebrations, and for wide-ranging civic activities.

On Thursday, the NYPA Board of Trustees approved a multi-million dollar competitively bid contract award to Hadley Exhibits, Inc., a Buffalo firm, to develop content and detailed designs for the fabrication and installation of the new exhibits.

“The planned upgrades of our Niagara Power Vista and two other upstate visitors centers are the latest examples of the importance that the Power Authority places on being an integral member of the communities where our hydroelectric plants are located,” said John R. Koelmel, NYPA chairman. “I am particularly pleased that a highly qualified Buffalo firm, Hadley Exhibits, has been chosen to oversee the improvements. The three visitors centers will benefit from the company’s demonstrated expertise.”

State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, was also pleased to see a Western New York firm doing work on the Lewiston facility.

“The improvement will also highlight other sustainable solutions that New York State is pioneering to enhance energy supply diversity and reliability and create jobs,” said Maziarz, chairman of the state Senate's energy committee.

In addition to the multiple dimensions of the new hands-on exhibits, the improvements will also include redesigned floor layouts to enhance accessibility, and modified signage, lighting and electrical infrastructure.

The upgrades at the Niagara Power Vista, which welcomed its seven millionth visitor in 2013 during its 50th anniversary year, will begin this summer, with the work to be completed by the spring of 2016. Among the infrastructure improvements will be the installation of an elevator, to go along with an existing escalator. The center’s seven-day-a-week operating hours are not expected to be affected by the exhibit upgrades, which will be largely conducted between the fall and spring months to avoid the summer tourism season. NYPA will coordinate the work with Hadley to mitigate any impact on visitors and will keep the public informed.

The upgrades at the St. Lawrence and B-G visitors centers will commence in the fall of 2015 and be completed in the spring of 2017. As with the Power Vista, the operating hours for those two visitors centers are not expected to be affected.

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