By Dan Miner/minerd@gnnewspaper.com
Niagara Gazette
Tue, May 13 2008
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Massive trucks toppled into the Niagara River. An errant fighter jet crashed into the river’s gorge.
These are several of the many stories Ken Glennon has heard from workers recounting their experience building the Niagara Power Project, the massive hydroelectric power facility which was constructed over a span of several years, from March 1958 to October 1962.
“There were a lot of unique things that happened on that job that these guys got to witness,” said Glennon, who now works at a specialty automobile manufacturing company in South Bend, Ind.
Glennon will recall those experiences during a presentation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the power project’s Power Vista Community Room on Saturday. The program, intended to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of construction of the power project, is part of a yearlong series of Saturday events at the power vista, run by the New York Power Authority.
“The Niagara project was the largest hydroelectric development in the western world when it was built and it stands today as the largest electricity producer in New York state,” said Roger Kelley, president and CEO of the power authority. “This is a fitting time to pay tribute to the men and women who built this magnificent source of clean, renewable and economical energy.”
The 2,441-megawatt facility currently employs more than 300 workers — down from 11,700 when it was built, according to a power authority release. It recently received a federal license to operate the facility for 50 more years which included settlements with various stakeholders along the Niagara River.
Glennon is also working on a book in which he retells the experience of over 30 workers with whom he’s personally spoken. He worked as a field checker for Merritt-Chapman and Scott, one of the numerous companies contracted to help build the facility.
One such experience involves a the driver of a massive truck hauling rock debris up a haul road to deposit it in Lewiston. Midway up the road, the driver lost power and thus his braking ability and fell back into the gorge.
“It’s their personal accounts,” Glennon said. “And I take those personal accounts and refine them into a storyline.”
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