NNY needs better roads, broadband access, Aubertine told at energy forum

MASSENA — Better roads and broadband access are needed in the north country to amp up the value of low-cost power as an economic development tool, several representatives from St. Lawrence County told state Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, at a recent energy forum in the Town Hall.

"Energy and transportation have to go hand in hand," said Jason A. Clark, economic development director for the Business Development Corporation for a Greater Massena. "Having better highway and broadband infrastructure would make the value of low-cost energy here that much greater."

If the state plans to spur economic development through energy policies and programs, the key is enhancing the ability of energy-producing regions like the north country to make more substantial headway with the resources they are given, officials suggested.

Public and private-sector representatives gathered Friday for a Powering New York's Future forum to speak with Mr. Aubertine about state efforts to retool the New York Power Authority's economic development programs and create a more efficient and effective state energy policy.

Many officials in other areas of the state have complained about Alcoa's 478-megawatt Preservation Power allocation in Massena, which they see as an unreasonable investment, especially as the company's employment has dropped to about 960 since the Massena East plant was idled temporarily this summer.

But retired Judge Eugene L. Nicandri suggested the low jobs-to-megawatts ratio could be seen as compensation for a lack of investment by the state in things such as highways and fiber-optic lines.

"One of the problems I have seen as a longtime resident here is a lack of a comprehensive economic development plan," Mr. Nicandri said. "The colleges could increase their enrollment if it didn't look to parents like a three-day trip to get their kid here. It's the state's underinvestment in the infrastructure that makes it difficult."

David B. Acker, chief executive officer of Canton-Potsdam Hospital, Potsdam, spoke of computerized record-keeping systems that hospitals throughout the state are being encouraged to start using, which require more sophisticated broadband access than this area offers.

"If you look at a map and see the areas in New York that don't have the bandwidth, it's us," Mr. Acker said.

County Democratic Chairman Mark J. Bellardini said huge economic development and job creation benefits could come from the proposed Interstate 98 project, known for decades as the "rooftop highway," which would connect interstates 81 and 87 with a limited access four-lane highway through the region.

"I-98 would be the magnitude of the St. Lawrence Seaway in terms of jobs and economic development," Mr. Bellardini said. "Electronic and pavement infrastructure is vital up here to retain industry and enhance our ability to draw more to the region. This is a major issue. We need this to keep us going."

Mr. Aubertine agreed that the I-98 concept, coupled with increased broadband access and low-cost energy, would give the region a powerful formula for success in attracting and retaining business.

Mr. Aubertine also said the state's electric grid needs significant investment to keep it up to date, especially as more and more renewable energy is added to the system.