The Town of Webb board has been notified of an incentive payment of $35,590 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) that’s available to go toward its two-phase project of upgrading the snowmaking equipment and chair lift at McCauley Mountain Ski Center in Old Forge.
The overall project cost is $152,821, and the upgrades are projected to save about $39,000 in electricity costs annually, a significant amount of money, according to Webb Supervisor Ted Riehle.
The town’s engineering report will be sent to National Grid, as well, to determine if they can top NYSERDA’s incentive, due to an energy reduction quota that National Grid needs to meet by the end of the year 2015.
“They are looking for bigger projects to save a considerable amount of money; they would be very interested in what was proposed and offer an additional incentive for the town to consider, and I think we should look into it before we take advantage of NYSERDA,” Riehle said.
According to Nick Rose, executive director of CAP-21, phase one of the project is the replacement of the chair lift motor and drive.
“Any incentive is probably a reason to replace, instead of repair it, as the cost would be similar,” he said.
Based on the energy savings they’re projecting, the pay back would be less than three years, Nick said.
“They have to be replaced in any case,” he said.
Rose indicated that newer technology allows snowmaking that’s four times faster than the older machines.
The time reduction accounts for the lower electricity requirements, he said.
Snow can also be made in much warmer temperatures, than with the older equipment.
Councilwoman, Kate Russell noted that since the start of this project last fall, persistence and all the hard work has paid off.
“I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that helped pull it off, and I’m excited that we saw this through and everyone can benefit from it,” she said.
According to Nick Rose, there will be no interruption in the operating the chair lift in the process of upgrading.
Another McCauley topic that was discussed by the board, was an annual fee for maintenance access for the telecommunication users and their contractors.
Currently the town is providing services and equipment that allow access, yet without compensation for its costs.
The town board discussed requiring an application to be filled out each time a contractor needs to access the mountain. Twenty-four hours notice would also be required.