Government

Village notes: Tall Ships 2015, peaker plant and new administrator

Tall ships like these could be heading up the East Coast to Greenport in 2015. (Credit: Courtesy Tall Ships America)
Tall ships like these could be heading up the East Coast to Greenport in 2015. (Credit: Courtesy Tall Ships America)

Greenport Village officials are looking into partnering with New London, Conn. to participate in the 2015 Tall Ships Challenge.

During the Village Board’s regular work session Monday night, Mayor David Nyce said the village is considering teaming up its neighbors across the Long Island Sound to jointly promote the popular summer event.

Preliminary discussions have been about utilizing the Cross Sound Ferry to entice visitors to check out both Tall Ships events, Mr. Nyce said.

He also said the village’s Business Improvement District is currently reviewing the feasibility of the New London partnership, too.

Although Tall Ships America has selected Greenport as a host port for the 2015 tour along the East Coast, the Village Board has yet to officially accept the offer.

If approved, Mr. Nyce said the tall ships would dock in Mitchell Park during the Fourth of July weekend.

The last time the Tall Ships Challenge visited Greenport was in 2012. The tour attracted more than 60,000 visitors to the village, officials have said.

Peaker plant public hearing scheduled

The Village Board is expected to hold a “special meeting” on Thursday, March 20, at 6 p.m. to discuss a proposed  power peaker plant on Moore’s Lane next to the existing Hawkeye electric plant.

The proposed power generating facility is known as a “peaker” plant because it would run only on diesel gas during peak hours, officials said.

Global Common first pitched the idea to Village Board last month. The company hopes to lease the land from the village, which could earn about $480,000 in revenue annually, according to the consultant’s proposal.

Global Common’s pitch comes after Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) announced it was seeking sites designed to replace the use of old infrastructure at existing plants and improve transmission capabilities across Long Island.

If the village is selected, officials said it would be required to enter into a 20-year agreement with PSEG to lease the land for the power plant at a fixed rate.

Greenport’s new village administrator gets to work Monday

New village administrator  Paul Pallas on his first day of work Monday. (Cyndi Murray photo)
New village administrator Paul Pallas on his first day of work Monday. (Cyndi Murray photo)

Paul Pallas of Manorville officially started in his new role as village administrator Monday.

“It was a great first day,” Mr. Pallas said after the village board’s work session Monday night. “There are a lot of positive things going on here. I’m pleased.”

Mr. Pallas is currently shadowing David Abatelli, who announced his retirement in December after serving as village administrator for more than 20 years.

In addition taking on the role of village administrator, Mr. Pallas is also responsible for performing the duties of village utilities director — another position that was vacated in 2013.

Mr. Pallas has more than 30 years of electric and gas utility experience. Most recently he served as the superintendent of the Village of Rockville Centre and is the president of the New York Association of Public Power.

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