Published: July 20, 2008 12:36 am            

GLYNN: DMV to issue enhanced license

Less than two months from launching the “Enhanced Drivers License,” there appears a lot of confusion about the new system.

The Department of Motor Vehicles will start issuing the new licenses on Sept. 16 at its offices in Lockport, Niagara Falls and North Tonawanda.

“A number of people think it’s mandatory but it’s not,” said County Clerk Wayne F. Jagow. “It’s strictly an option which allows them to cross the New York-Canada border without a passport.”

In June 2009, the federal government has mandated that Empire State residents will no longer be able to cross the border without a passport. With the enhanced driver license in hand, there should be no problem.

The new license system — described as one of the most secure and comprehensive in the nation — is also considered a major step toward ensuring the economic vitality of the upstate region, especially communities close to the border.

Unfortunately, as Jagow observes, the cost is more expensive than what had been originally envisioned by those who wanted to provide better access to the border.

In addition to the $50 fee for a regular driver’s license, the new system adds $30. That $80 cost for the upgraded license approaches the $100 fee for a passport, valid for 10 years.

One obvious disadvantage: applicants with two years left on their regular (eight-year) operator’s license would pay a duplicate expense. That special $30 fee is separate and not pro-rated, as Jagow said.

Gov. David A. Paterson has weighed in on the new agreement between the state and the Federal Department of Homeland Security. “The development of this license will help ease the long lines at our New York-Canada border crossings, allowing commerce to flow more freely and securely in and out of the state. He also praised the state Department of Motor Vehicles for its role in developing the license.

Amidst all the questions about the new system, some NEXUS cardholders have asked how they might be impacted.

“It’s still the trusted traveler program,” said Thomas Garlock, general manager of the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission. He noted that the $50 NEXUS enrollment is valid for five years.

The system allows low-risk, pre-screened motorists to cross the international bridges without delay, sometimes with only visual inspection. An estimated 200,000 residents of the U.S. and Canada are currently enrolled and the program continues to expand across the northern border. The Whirlpool Bridge is restricted to NEXUS members and specific lanes at other spans are dedicated to those users. The new enhanced license will not provide for that same privilege.

At present, after NEXUS applicants submit all the preliminary information and undergo thorough background checks, they are issued the card after a final interview in Fort Erie, Ont.

Local residents frequently question the long driver to the Peace Bridge area to complete the process. An effort is under way to locate another office at Niagara Falls and that could happen soon, officials say.

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IN TRIBUTE: The family and friends of Niagara Falls native Robert L. Kay, an outstanding professional golfer for many years, have established memorial scholarships and a golf award in his honor.

Kay, who played nine times in the U.S. PGA, once set a course record of 64 at the Hyde Park Golf Course. He was the pro at the Wampanonoag Country Club in West Hartford, Conn., for 21 years.

Kay’s father, Wendell H. Kay, was the longtime pro at the Hyde Park course here.

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IN GOOD HANDS: Ernie Krell has been named general chairman of the annual Niagara County Peach Festival, set Sept 5 to 7 at Academy Park, Lewiston.

Krell, a co-chairman for the past two years, has worked closely with the popular event since he joined the Kiwanis Club, which sponsors the festival, 26 years ago.

Contact reporter Don Glynn at 282-2311, ext. 2246.

        

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