GREENWAY: Commission moves to review projects

The Niagara River Greenway Commission’s Executive Committee spent Tuesday afternoon hammering out the final wording in its “project profile.”

The profiles will act as applications for parties interested in applying for funding for greenway projects made possible by the New York Power Authority relicensing agreements.

“We’re just trying to make sure it’s understandable to everybody, whether you’re a Harvard graduate or only finished the ninth grade,” commission Executive Director Rob Belue said. “We’re shooting to have it out by the end of August.”

Actual funding for the projects is controlled by greenway standing committees or state departments, Belue said. But by contract the commission must be consulted for every project, and approval could go a long way towards getting a project accepted.

The profile must now be approved by the executive committee, which will review it and then send it to the full commission for review and approval.

One item of discussion was putting applications up on the Web site for public viewing, an idea which was received well by commission members. Officials agreed that doing so is a good way to open the process up to public review. It would also be a good way to determine whether to have public meetings on a specific project if it solicits a diversity of opinions.

However, officials did say that public opinion of the projects won’t dictate whether the commission approves them.

“Our role is to protect the plan we’ve created and make sure only the only projects that pass our gates are the ones that are good for the plan,” said John Giardino, executive committee treasurer. “I don’t want to put us in a situation of being lobbied because one group of people like a plan.”

But public involvement is a positive thing, officials agreed.

“We have a specific purpose to fill, but at the same time the public should be as enlightened as possible,” said Ron Moline, Town of Tonawanda supervisor and chairman of the commission’s Local Government Advisory Committee.