Town of Webb town board lends support to project
Old Forge Properties, which includes Enchanted Forest Water Safari and Water’s Edge Inn and Conference Center, will be submitting an application targeting NYSERDA Green House Gas Reduction and Empire State Development grant funds through the 2012 NYS Consolidated Funding Application to the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council.
At the monthly meeting of the Town of Webb Board on Tuesday, July 10, Gary Ramsey and Tim Noonan presented documents to the Board requesting a letter of support for their project.
Currently, Old Forge Properties uses oil to heat water for the water park rides during the summer, as well as a combination of oil, propane, and electricity to carry the heated loads of water to Water’s Edge and other nearby buildings.
“This woodchip biomass boiler would replace that [fossil fuels],” Noonan said, “There are a bunch of these in the state and we are the first commercial property that is looking to do this. Because we use a lot of energy in the summer time, it makes it a worthwhile project for us.”[aswp id=”2″]
What they are proposing through their grant application is to install a wood chip boiler system that would replace the existing systems and save Old Forge Properties an estimated $84,000 to $110,500 per year.The cost for this project is approximately $2 million.
A feasibility analysis that was conducted by the USDA Forest Service found that this project should produce a positive cash flow quickly, which will allow Old Forge Properties to continually invest, create new jobs, and attract additional visitors to Herkimer County.
“They learned of our significant heating capacity for the water, and actually brought the project to us,” Noonan said, “And so far, the feasibility study and all the engineering has been paid for by the US Forest Service.”
Additionally, the Forest Service study found that by replacing fossil fuels with renewable wood biomass fuel, the project is expected to offset 451 tons of carbon emissions annually, bring carbon dioxide emissions down to zero, and allow for nearly 750 tons, or about 30 tractor trailer loads of locally produced woodchips annually.
While the switch would eliminate creosote, there would still be ash produced.
However, it is not considered a hazardous material and can therefore be used as a soil amendment to lawns and gardens.
According to Old Forge Properties, the Biomass Heating Project has received support from the offices of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator Charles Schumer, Congressman Richard Hanna, Assemblyman Marc Butler, Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency, Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce, NYS DEC, the Tug Hill Commission and the Adirondack North Country Association.
Local environmental scientist Ron Smith, who was in attendance at the meeting, agreed that the biomass project was a good idea and was glad that it would be utilized in the winter as well as in the summer by both facilities that use a lot of energy to operate.
